Spirited Away: Reunited at last?
by Kayo23
Summary: This is the story of Chihiro and Haku after Chihiro leaves the Spirit World. Will she be able to return? And what challenges do they have to face?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first ever attempt at writing. I discovered Spirited Away 2 weeks ago (yeah, I have been living under a rock for the last 13 years) and I liked the movie so much that I decided to try my hand at a sequel. I don't know if it does justice to the movie, but I really hope it does. Reviews are always welcomed. I prefer the good ones, but constructive criticism is good too.

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters in Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 1: Welcome home**

**Chihiro's POV**

_"Just go back the way you came. You'll be fine. But you have to promise me not to look back" he told me._

_"What about you? What will you do?"_

_"Don't worry. I'll go back and have a talk with Yubaba. I'll tell her I'm going to quit being her apprentice." ... "I'm fine. I got my name back."_

_"Will we meet again sometime?"_

_"Sure we will."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise."_

I let go of his hand and ran as fast as my legs could take me t the train station, where I knew my parents were waiting for me. I almost tripped in my hurry, but didn't stop until I could hug my mom and dad. But they didn't seem to be to happy to see me. For them I was lost for only ten minutes and they didn't even know that without my help their lives would have been over a week ago. But I was so glad to see them that I didn't notice the harsh welcome.

At the last second a thought of looking back came into my mind, but my parents rushed me to come to the car, that I never looked back to see if Haku was still there.

Arriving on the other side of the train station, I tried looking back through the tunnel, but it was pitch black. In the meantime my parents were fussing about the car being dusty. They thought this was someone's idea of a joke. But how could I tell them that it had been a while since we last saw the car?

15 minutes after we left the train station we arrived at our new and "beautiful" house, according to my mom. To me it looked ugly and boring being all blue. But at the moment it reflected my mood perfectly. 'How could I feel so much for someone whom I just met?'

When we arrived at the house the movers were finishing unloading our belongings and furniture. They helped us by moving the boxes in the right rooms. We decided to take a little break for lunch and after that we would begin unpacking.

"I never got a chance to ask you, but where did you go exploring, Chihiro?" asked mom while she sliced some tomatoes for a salad. "We were looking for you for 5 minutes. You really got us worried."

"I... I wasn't far. What do you remember?" I tried to stall the time to see what was the last thing that they remembered.

"That we walked on that meadow and you said you wanted to climb the hill and see what's beyond it. So we waited for you and then we got worried. We called after you for 2 minutes straight. Didn't you hear us?" She asked a little worried.

Deciding it was better to tell them the truth another time, I started to speak: "I... When I got to the top of the hill I saw the bed of a river, but it was almost dry. Next to the river there was the statue of a dragon. It was bluish and had a teal mane. It looked fierce yet peaceful. I was so captivated by it, that I guess I didn't hear you calling. Sorry, mom." I said and exhibited my best puppy eyes for extra conviction.

"It's ok. But don't do that ever again. We were getting ready to come look for you." She said and started to rummage in the cooler that we brought with us for our other dishes.

"What do you want to eat Chihiro? Karaage or Sekihan?" asked dad with a wolfish face, meaning that he was really hungry.

Not wanting to have the earlier fate of my parents and be turned into a pig, I replied: "I think I'll stick to the salad."

"Nonsense. You must have some proper food. And on top of that we are celebrating the move." He said and I knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Reluctantly, I opted for the Sekihan, giving that pigs don't eat rice and eating it wouldn't turn me into one. I left the meat to my parents.

After a long meal, in which my parents fussed over me for picking at my food, I decided to go to my room and take a nap before starting to unpack. Deciding to change into something more comfortable for sleeping, I opened the first box that came my way and luckily a found my pajamas. I started taking of my T-shirt, when something fell from it and landed on the floor right in front of my feet. I stooped to pick it up and to my surprise it was a dragon scale. I started to cry tears of joy, knowing that a part of him would always be here to protect me.

Feeling bone tired I put the scale and my goodbye card (the one that saved me by remembering my name) under the pillow and curled on the bed for the best nap ever. I dreamed of brown-green hair and green eyes and the most beautiful dragon.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is my first ever attempt at writing. I discovered Spirited Away 2 weeks ago (yeah, I have been living under a rock for the last 13 years) and I liked the movie so much that I decided to try my hand at a sequel. I don't know if it does justice to the movie, but I really hope it does. Reviews are always welcomed. I prefer the good ones, but constructive criticism is good too.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters in Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

** Chapter 2: My heart has stopped beating**

**Haku's POV**

I reluctantly let go of her hand knowing that I wad to keep my promise., but trying to figure out how to do so. I decided that Yubaba Could wait a little longer so I turned into my dragon form and took of to Swamp Bottom. Zeniba was the only one that could help me see Chihiro again. Her knowledge of the Spirit World was vast and I had a feeling that she knew a thing or two about the Human World as well.

I flew faster than I ever did before and when I landed in her yard the door opened and Zeniba came out to greet me. I only managed to change into my human form. i was so tired from my flight that she thought I was sick, so she asked No-Face to take me inside so she could tend to my wounds. It took me 5 minutes to get my breathing under control so I could speak.

"Zeniba, I'm fine. I'm not hurt. Not physically, anyway." I said when I was breathing normally again.

"Then what's wrong? You look like you've been hurt badly." she asked and started looking carefully at me.

"My heart has stopped beating." I told her but as soon as I spoke the words I knew that I didn't choose them carefully.

"WHAT?!" She screeched and her eyes almost popped out.

"Not literally. Chihiro just left the Spirit World and I'm pretty sure she took my heart with her." I told her hoping that this will calm her.

"Aah!... Young love..." She responded like everything was right again with the world.

"Zeniba! Stop with the 'young love' crap and tell me how to get her back!" I yelled at her a little, knowing that if I didn't snap her out of it I would never hear the end of this nonsense.

"My dear Haku... I can't help you here..." She said in her sweet voice but with a trace of sadness in it.

"But I thought you knew about the Human World!" I snapped at her thinking that I came all the way here for nothing.

"I do, but what you're asking can't be achieved. You can't force a human to return to the Spirit World if they don't want to." She explained.

"And if they want to come back?" I asked a little more hopeful thinking that Chihiro would want to come.

"Then it is more simple. The human must find a portal to the spirit world."

"Ok. And how do I help Chihiro find the portal?" I asked again a little irritated seeing that I had more questions than answers.

"You can't help her. You must wait for her to find it on her own." ... "But there may be another way for you to be with Chihiro." She said with some mischief.

"There is?! What?" I asked again, now full of hope that I can be with Chihiro really soon.

"You go to the Human World." She said in a nonsense tone.

"Ok... But how do I do that? I am a spirit." I said a little puzzled and deflated.

"That is a little bit tricky. Unless you repair the connection to the Human World, you can't go back." She said in a somewhat pitiful voice.

"My river?"

"Yes."

"And how do I do that?" I asked again. I would do anything in my power to restore it.

"Someone from the Human World must help the river." She stated and watched me deflate.

"But who? Chihiro is only ten years old. How can she go and start talking about bringing a river back to life?" I asked and knew that even if she remembered me she couldn't go dig the river again on herself.

"Then you better hope that she tells her parents about the Spirit World and that they believe her. Maybe they could help you." She said placing a hand on my knee to comfort me.

"Yeah... Maybe..." I whispered knowing that it was almost impossible.

Feeling deflated I decided to call it a night and head back to the bathhouse. Before I left, Zeniba stopped ma and said: "Here, take this hair tie. Chihiro has one as well. Maybe you can use it to communicate with her." I took it and placed it inside my robe, close to my heart, and got out the door. Before Zeniba could comment anything about 'young love' I already turned into my dragon form and took of towards the bathhouse.

After a couple of hours of flying and thinking I finally reached the bathhouse. I changed quickly into my human form and fell flat on the bed, falling asleep in an instant, dreaming of the beautiful, young and slightly clumsy girl that saved my life.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters in Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**I know the chapters are short, but bare with me. I have the first 15 chapters written and I know where I like them to end up. They will have some bumps in the road, but... I don't want to spoil it for you.**

**Today is my dad's birthday and feeling cheerful I decided to post another chapter, although I didn't plan to.**

**Happy reading! CN**

** Chapter III: "Home sweet home"**

**Chihiro's POV**

The next couple of days went by really quickly. We were all busy unpacking that I never had the time to think of Haku. Much... Although he was always with me in my sleep.

My room was such a mess that I decided to put my most prized possessions in a safe place, so to not lose them. In the back of my closet I found a beautiful small chest with this intricate pattern on top. This reminded me so much of Haku, because the chest was white and the pattern as teal, just as Haku's mane when he was in his dragon form.

Unpacking all the house took us almost two weeks, because mom and dad had to work and I started school the third day after we moved at the new house.

Ugh! School... What can I tell you about that? The word "horrible" doesn't even come close to describe how my new school is. The first day wasn't that bad. My class teacher, Ms. Yugimura, was sweet and felt that I wasn't very comfortable at the new school, so she decided to take me under her wing for a little while, until I made some friends. But this was a bad thing, because my class mates started to call me "a teacher's pet" and I felt more isolated than before.

So I turned to drawing. Although I tried to draw in the past, nothing good came out of my hand. But the first time I drew the dragon version of Haku, my Arts teacher was very impressed and said that this sort of talent is seen very rarely. I felt good about the praise but in return my class mates became even meaner. They said I was a "show off" and that my dragon looked more like a catfish. I knew that Haku looked better in reality, but I was proud of my work.

Still, I decided to never draw him again at school. But at home when I got some free time, this is all I did. I filled many pages with him in his dragon and human form. They too went in the chest that was in the back of my closet. The first time I opened the chest to put the drawings I noticed my hair tie (that Zeniba and my friends wove for me). I know it was beautiful when I first received it, but now there was something special about it: it was glowing. So I took it to have a closer look and it zapped me...


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters in Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.

Hello! I noticed I got my first fav. Yay! Keep them coming! Next update is next week.

The first chapter to exceed 1000 words! :D

I read some of the stories that all the other lovely authors wrote about Spirited Away and I couldn't find any idea like mine (the hair tie)... That is until today. I really didn't copy the idea. So to the user KawaChow: if you happen to stumble upon this story, I didn't copy your idea.

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter IV: Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi**

**Haku's POV**

The next day I woke up as the sun was setting. I couldn't believe it that I slept for almost for 15 hours straight and that I felt replenished. I decided this was the perfect time to speak to Yubaba, before the bathhouse opened and the chaos started. I quickly took a shower and changed, left the room and barged into Yubaba's office ignoring the door knocker who was yelling hysterically for me to stop.

"Don't you know how to knock?" she spoke in her usual rude manner.

"Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi..." I whispered.

"What are you mumbling there? Speak louder!" said Yubaba without taking her eyes from the receipts she was filling.

" Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi!" I said as loud as I could so that she can't deny that she heard me.

At that Yubaba's eyes almost popped out of her sockets and the smoke from the cigarette that was between her lips came out through her ears.

"How do you...? When...? How...?" she started to formulate so many questions at once it was really hard to understand anything.

"Chihiro helped me to remember my name. I am no longer under your control, Yubaba!" I told her feeling very proud of me but most importantly of Chihiro.

"But I wasn't controlling you. You said you wanted to be my apprentice..." she said in a calmer voice like she was a totally different person than the one that spoke 10 seconds ago.

"Yeah, but not do your dirty work!"

"But..."

"No buts! I want you to tear up my contract! I am no longer working for you." I said forcefully feeling tired and wanting to get this over with.

"But where will you go?" she starting asking meekly, like she gave a damn about what I did with my life.

"That is not your problem!"

"But..."

"If you don't get that contract and tear it up immediately, I'll show you a thing or two of what I've learned by being your apprentice." I said starting getting angry that I didn't seem to reason with her.

"Are you threatening me, Haku?" she started fuming again though her ears seeing that I was no longer willing to be her lackey.

"Oh, no. That's not a threat. That is a promise." I told her knowing that I had to play it cool if I wanted to succeed.

"Fine. I will tear up the contract but I have one condition." she said and started sneering. I could see her brain working and I didn't like what I saw.

"No more conditions! I told you my name. I want to go!"

"Ah...Ah...Ah...! You don't tell me what to do. While that contract still exists, you belong to me."

"Fine! What is it you want this time?" I asked seeing that this discussion was getting me nowhere.

"I want you to kill my sister and get the golden magic seal back." she said matter of factly, like she was talking about the weather.

"What?!" I asked incredulously. I knew she was evil, but this was taking it to a whole new other level.

"You heard me! What's going to be? My sister or your precious Chihiro?" she sneered again knowing that she had me pinned in the corner.

I was really between a rock and a hard place. I cared about Zeniba, but unless I was free from Yubaba I couldn't bring Chihiro back to the Spirit World. After a long time I finally gave in: "Ok, I'll do it. How will I prove to you that I killed Zeniba?"

"You will bring me her heart."

Knowing that there was nothing I could do to change her mine, I left Yubaba's office as fast as I could I got to the first window and jumped, transforming into my dragon form and flying to Swamp Bottom. The journey there gave me time to think about my actions. I never planned on killing Zeniba, but I had to be convincing to Yubaba so she won't suspect a thing.

Arriving at Zeniba's two and a half hours later, I landed in her yard and barged inside, not expecting for her to open the door.

"Zeniba, we have a big problem!" I said forceful, but Zeniba didn't look to be scared or impressed.

"What is it, dear?" she asked in her sweet granny voice not startled at all that I just barged in the door like a mad man.

"Yubaba wants you dead." I told her bluntly, not knowing how to sugar coat this information.

"And where is the news?" she asked as if I had just told her that the sun shines in the day.

"I told her I would kill you..." I said knowing that I couldn't keep this information any longer.

"What?"

"I don't want and I don't intend to, but otherwise I can't leave the bathhouse." I said so rapidly that even I didn't understand completely what I said.

"Could you slow down a little and be a little more specific, dear?"

"On the way back, the last time we were here, Chihiro helped me remember my real name..." I started to tell her.

"That's great!" She said and acted like a real grandmother that saw her grandchild get into college. That's when I felt for the first time that I wasn't alone in this world.

"That's what I thought. I went earlier to see Yubaba and told her my real name and that I didn't want to work for her any longer. But when I told her to tear up the contract she said no. I threatened her and she gave in, but she had one condition: that I kill you and take your golden magic seal."

"Ok..."

"How do we trick her into believing that you are dead?" I asked her seeing that she was becoming more and more upset.

"Easy... You kill me." She responded bluntly like she was talking about an ordinary thing.

"WHAT?! Zeniba, I know you're really old, but are you bonkers? I don't want to kill you!" I said wondering if the old witch has just lost her marbles.

"Well, then don't kill me."

"And then I'll never get to see Chihiro again..." I said deflated.

"Well then... We must think of a plan. How about some tea?" She said reverting to her normal cheerful self.

"Fine..." I responded, knowing that I was just delaying the inevitable.

While Zeniba was busying herself in the kitchen making tea, I remembered the hair tie that she gave me. I took it out of my inside pocket and started playing with it thinking how could I see Chihiro again and keep Zeniba alive. At first it looked like a normal hair tie (although a little girly for my taste), but then it started to glow. I thought I was dreaming but then...it zapped me.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello again. Hope you didn't wait too long for this.**

**Without further ado... Happy reading! CN**

** Chapter V: Purple**

**Chihiro's POV**

It zapped me... My hair tie zapped me. And not only that but I could feel a good presence coming from it. I was so scared that I ran to my mom to show her.

"Look mom! Doesn't my hair tie glow? And when I touched it, it zapped me." I said feeling excited.

"What are you talking about, Chihiro? It's just another hair tie. And by the way, where did you get it? I don't remember buying it to you." Mom asked suspiciously.

"I... got it from some friends..." I decided to tell a little lie instead of 'A big baby turned into i little mouse, a creepy crow with a witch's face turned into a tiny bird, a monster with no face and a witch with a really big head made it for me.'

"Aw... How cute. You made some friends at the new school! How are they?"

"They're...great." I said thinking that it wasn't a total lie. My friends from the Spirit World were really great.

Seeing that I was getting nowhere with my mom I decided to find the answer to the riddle myself. After all, I wasn't named Chihiro (a thousand searches) for nothing. Returning to my room I played with it for a little while longer and then fell asleep still holding the hair tie. I found myself transported back into the Spirit World, to Zeniba's house. Actually, It was like I was watching from the window, a very dirty and steamy window. She had her back to the window and at first I couldn't see with whom she was talking to, but then she went to the kitchen to make tea and I saw Haku. And he was holding a hair tie just like mine.

I woke up with a jolt and started putting the pieces back together. 'If he has a hair tie and I have one, maybe we can communicate through them somehow.' I thought, but started to laugh at my own crazy idea. Hearing me laugh so hard, my mom came into my room to see me laughing my ass off by looking at a hair tie.

"Chihiro, what's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing mom. Just that I have a glowing and zapping hair tie."

"I told you, it's not glowing and it doesn't zap!"

"But..."

"What's the matter with you? You've been acting strange since we moved here." Mom said getting frustrated with my nonsense.

"I miss my friends..." I said trying very hard not to cry.

Mom left me alone, but not before throwing me a death glare that I shouldn't be talking nonsense.

"I miss my friends...from the Spirit World." I said and started to cry thinking how much time did I have to wait before I could return to my true home.

**A/N: I know it's short, but I will try to do better :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Thank you so much to **_**Noelle Anna-Marie**_** and **_**write more**_** for the reviews! And also thank you to the ones that favorite and follow the story. **

**Happy reading! CN**

** Chapter VI: Do the deed**

**Haku's POV**

"Zeniba!" I yelled equally scared and excited.

"What's the matter? Where is the fire?"

"I think it's working!"

"What is?"

"The hair tie. It started glowing when I touched it and then it zapped me. And I can feel like Chihiro is right at the tip of my fingers." I said feeling a little hope for the first time after all came crumbling down.

"Well... May I have a look?" She said approaching the table.

"Of course."

Zeniba came back to the table and took the hair tie from me. She turned it around and spoke something next to it but nothing happened.

"If you think it's working, I believe you. But I can't feel a thing." She said a little skeptic throwing me a look, which meant that I was loosing my mine.

"I know it's working!" I said a little frustrated that although she was supposed to be the witch she couldn't do anything.

"How about that tea?" She finally said, seeing that there was no reasoning with me.

"Ok..."

She left me to stare at the hair tie once again and I had the feeling that Chihiro was watching me very closely.

Soon after, Zeniba returned with some tea, but I couldn't see, hear or taste anything. She stood there watching me for about five minutes and when she had enough she spoke: "Hey! I'm not getting any younger! Are we gonna come with a plan in which to kill me?"

"I really don't know what to do. Do you think that for now I should go back to Yubaba and ask for my job back? In the meantime, maybe we can form a plan and I can speak with Chihiro through the hair tie." I said running out of ideas, seeing that I didn't want to kill Zeniba and killing Yubaba was not an option at the moment.

"That is not such a bad idea. But do you think she'll take you back after you threatened her?" She said but she really looked worried for me, which made me feel good that someone was caring for me.

"Nope, but it can't hurt to try. Maybe, by staying close to her I can learn some more of her secrets and someday I can even take her place at the bathhouse."

"Ok. Go back and see what you can do. I will send No-Face at sunset so you can tell him the response and we'll work from there."

Taking the hair tie and placing it near my heart again I got out the door and after transforming into my dragon form I took off towards the bathhouse, mentally preparing for my punishment (after all, what can you do on a Friday?).

Sensing my arrival, Yubaba sent one of the frogs to greet me and to tell me that she was waiting for me in her office. 'So much for a little peace and quiet.' I thought.

Arriving in her office, I didn't even have time to close the door 'cause the nasty witch came flying towards me and asking "Where is it?!"

"Where is what?" I answered, trying to buy myself some time to come up with a good excuse.

"Where is my dead sister's heart? And more importantly, WHERE is the magic seal?" she asked getting more and more impatient and I knew that I had no other choice but to tell her the truth.

"I don't have them."

"Why?"

"I couldn't do it" I responded feeling sad knowing that my punishment would be severe but also happy that I didn't kill an innocent person and sinking further in crimes committed for Yubaba.

"HA! I knew it! You are weak. That human made you like this. Before she came here you were ruthless and didn't walk away from any job I gave you." she said sneering.

"I'm not weak. It's just that I have a heart. I may care for Chihiro, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to kill someone innocent for that." I said feeling angrier by the second.

"Innocent! Ha! You know that my sister isn't innocent. She almost killed you the last time you saw her."

"That's true, but she tried to kill me because I stole that magic seal. For YOU! She didn't do anything wrong. She was just protecting her belongings." I said seething.

"Fine! But what shall we do with you?"

"I am prepared to receive my punishment." I said knowing that there was no way I was getting out of this situation.

"Very well. First of all you will receive 25 whiplashes for disobeying me. Then your contract will be made permanent and you will always be my slave. The first part of the punishment will take part next Saturday after sunset during Sakurayama Festival, so that everyone can see what happens if they disobey me. As for the second part..."

Yubaba made a small flick with her hand and out of nowhere appeared a folded paper: MY contract. With another flick of her hand the paper unfolded and a paper appeared. Looking in astonishment I saw that the expiration date of the contract changed from 2002 to unlimited.

I don't think that something could have made me angrier. I'm sure that if looks could kill, Yubaba would be dying a most painful death...

* * *

_A/N: 1. Sakurayama Festival is a festival that takes place in Japan in the fall. I know it's in the Human World, but let's say the spirits take part at it as well._

_2\. Giving that the movie appeared in 2001, I wanted to keep the date of the contract close to that period. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

_Unfortunately this is another short chapter but very important for the story. I almost cried when I written it, so be advised._

_In the very near future I plan to edit the first two chapters and repost them. I will add some feelings after every line the characters speak for better understanding the mood they are in :)_

** Chapter VII: Don't hurt him!**

**Chihiro's POV**

The next weeks went by in a blur. School was horrible, at home it wasn't all that peachy and the only times I felt really content was when I was drawing. And seeing that I always felt a hole in the pit of my stomach, I was drawing almost all of the time when I was at home. This drove my parents crazy.

"What are you drawing again, Chihiro?" asked my dad one evening.

"Nothing, dad. I was jus practicing for a drawing contest." I lied so that he didn't make me stop. I didn't like lying to my parents, but if I didn't have my drawings I would have nothing.

One Saturday evening, I was on the living room floor drawing my favourite dragon and playing with my hair tie. All of a sudden it started to glow and zap me constantly. I knew that Haku was in danger and soon the images came in front of me like they were projected.

On the bridge in front of the bathhouse a crowd was gathered to witness the whipping of Haku. It was obvious that none of the spectators wanted to be there but Yubaba made them watch as Haku started to receive his punishment.

At the first lash of the whip I flinched, almost sensing his pain. By the fourth lash I couldn't take it any longer and started to cry softly because my back started to tingle. I tried to hold it together for as long as I could, but by the ninth lash I started to bawl like I was the one beaten. At this point my back burned a lot like I was stung with nettles.

This freaked my parents and they tried to snap me out of the trance I was being in, but nothing worked.

"Chihiro! What's the matter? Why are you crying, honey?" asked my mom and came to sit next to me. I could feel her cradling my body but I was crying even harder.

"Chihiro! Pull yourself together!" said my dad a little forceful and shook me to snap me out of it.

By the fifteenth lash I was thrashing violently on the floor screaming "No! Don't hurt him!" Haku's back started to bleed and mine was almost burning with his pain but still I couldn't let go of the hair tie.

At this point my mom was really freaking out and went to call for the ambulance to came and take me so that I could get checked out. I could hear her in the background saying: "I think she is going mad!"

By the 22nd lash I cried and screamed so much that I almost didn't have any voice left and my breath was almost non-existent. Haku's back was bleeding profusely and there wasn't any space left that the whip didn't touch.

When it finally stopped, after the 25th lash (I didn't even know I was keeping count) I finally let go of the hair tie and the darkness engulfed me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

_In this chapter I mention Boh for the first time. I know his name is supposed to be Bou, but here in Romania that means "ox" and I didn't want that. I really like Boh._

_The first two chapters are edited and reposted. _

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 8: Beating**

**Haku's POV**

The last few days were spent preparing for the punishment At least the evil witch let me be and didn't send me to do her dirty work. Seeing that I wasn't needed, by Monday morning I took off towards Swamp Bottom, hoping that talking to Zeniba might help diminish the stress and prepare me for what lays ahead.

Truth be told, I wasn't that scared about the punishment that was about to come, I was a spirit after all. And besides, my worst punishment came 2 days ago when Yubaba made my contract permanent. Then I realized that the only way to be free from her tyrannical reign was to kill her.

Reaching Zeniba's I knocked on the door and waited for her to answer. When she hugged me I started to cry like a kid who lost his favourite toy. After all she was the closest thing I had to a mother. I didn't even think about parents until now, but it felt good to have someone who supported you and stood by your side.

"Come on, darling. Let's go inside and talk." She said in her sweet voice.

Getting inside she directed me to a chair near the fireplace and she took the one in front of me.

"So, by looking at your face, I would say that the evil witch is more evil than we thought..." She started to talk looking closely at me.

"You could say that..." I responded.

"What happened? What is your punishment?" She asked concerned.

"There are actually 2 punishments. The first one I don't really fear. She will whip me 25 times." I said with conviction.

"And the second one?" She asked seeing that my face was ashen.

"My contract is permanent. And that went into effect Friday evening." I almost whispered.

"Wow..." was all she could say.

"Yeah... I don't want to do it, but I realize that the only way to escape from under her reign is to kill her." I said matter of factly.

"I know she's an evil hag, but maybe we don't have to go so far." She said showing that although Yubaba treated her very poorly, she still cared for her sister.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked knowing that I wouldn't like this very much.

"While you rest..."

"I don't need to rest! I feel fine." I cut her off.

"I wasn't asking you to rest, I was telling you!" She said a little irate.

"Ok..." I acquiesced seeing that I couldn't reason with her.

"As I was saying... While you rest, I will try and sneak in the bathhouse and have a chat with Boh. Maybe he can convince Yubaba to change her mind: if not for the first punishment, at least for the second one, to reduce your contract to the minimum 2 years. And after that time, if she feels that you haven't paid your debt, to renew it once again." she said in a soothing voice.

"And what if the talk with Boh doesn't work?" I asked thinking about the worst possibilities.

"It's worth giving a shot. Right?"

"I guess so..." I said not having her confidence at all.

As soon as I spoke those words, I felt like my body was made from lead and couldn't stay up another second. Zeniba asked No-Face to put me to bed, as she got ready to go to the bathhouse. She left and I gave up fighting sleep and it took over me.

I slept for what felt like three days and when I woke up I felt a little better than before and a little more hopeful.

Going into the living room I found Zeniba knitting and drinking tea.

"Good morning, sunshine! Glad you could wake up and grace us with your presence!" she said cheerfully and with a little mocking tone.

"But I didn't sleep for that long." I said a little upset that she was making fun of me.

"Wanna bet? Today is Friday." She said with a big smile on her face and a little mischief in her eyes.

"WHAT?! " I asked furiously that she would do such a thing.

"Oops! Sorry. I must have put something in your tea. But you looked like you needed to sleep for a long time. Now you look so much better." She said in her sweetest voice possible hoping my fury wouldn't turn into rage.

"Gee, thanks! But next time let me decide how much I wanna sleep." I said a lor calmer but I was still upset that I've spent the last four days sleeping instead of preparing.

"Ok. No problem!" She said with an apologetic smile.

"So how did it go your talk with Boh?" I asked feeling hopeful.

"It went..." She said and my hope started to subside.

"Ok. But how?" I asked a little impatient.

"I arrived at the bath house on Monday afternoon. Yubaba wasn't there as usual, so it wasn't hard to talk to Boh. He promised to talk to her." She said in little pain seeping in her voice.

"And did he?" I asked knowing that by now he should have.

"He did. You can imagine she wasn't pleased that we tried to turn her son against her, but she said she will think about your second punishment and that she will give you an answer after the first one is put into effect." She said with a pitiful voice.

"So now I have to be a good boy and receive my punishment and maybe I will get to see Chihiro after 2 years." I said feeling a little angry and sorry for myself.

"Yes."

"Ok. And what if she doesn't keep her promise?" I asked knowing that this wouldn't be the first time that Yubaba would lie to someone.

"We will deal that when the time comes." She said with sympathy.

"I hope you don't mind, but I would like to go back to the bathhouse to rest some more for tomorrow. Maybe if I concentrate really hard I could be really quiet and don't make a sound and she will tear up my contract." I said with a little chuckle.

"Yeah right! Have you met my sister?" was all she responded.

"Thought so..."

After saying goodbye to Zeniba and No-Face I changed into my dragon form and flew back to the bathhouse. Once again the frog was waiting for me to tell me that Yubaba wants to see me. I walked right passed him, got in the elevator and went to my room. Maybe it wasn't such a smart move but I really didn't want to see her ugly face.

I went to the bathroom and took the longest bath imaginable, but I still didn't feel relaxed. I knew that I wasn't afraid of tomorrow's punishment, but the fact that on it depended the time I had to spend under Yubaba's control really pissed me off.

I finally managed to fall asleep after a lot of tossing and turning and slept through mid morning. After lunch I started to think about Chihiro and whether I wanted to take the hair tie with me. I decided against it. That would be too traumatic for her. I may look like a 13-year-old boy, but I am almost 13.000 years old. She couldn't stand such brutality. Thinking about this (about Chihiro, not about the beating) took me almost five hours. I would have thought for longer, if not for someone banging on my door. I didn't get a chance to open it. It opened itself and three of the tallest frogs came in saying they had orders for Yubaba to escort me outside. They took me a little by surprise so I didn't get a chance to place the hair tie inside the little box I designed for it.

Outside of the bathhouse there were at least 1000 workers and guests and all of them looked like they wanted to throw up. The last one came Yubaba who was more than ready to teach me a lesson... But so was I...

When the first lash came I didn't feel much on my back but I sensed a tingling in the hair tie that was in my palm. I knew that Chihiro had seen the lash, but I was selfish and thought that if she saw further she would fight harder to get back to the Spirit World.

At the fourth lash the hair tie started to quiver. I could sense Chihiro through it and knew that this wasn't going to end well.

At the ninth lash I could feel that water started to drip from the hair tie and knew that Chihiro was crying her eyes out. But still I couldn't get myself to let go of the hair tie.

By the fifteenth lash I could feel my back was really sore, but my main concern was Chihiro. Now the hair tie was shaking violently in my hand and I squeezed it tightly hoping that somehow I could calm her down.

After the 22nd lash I could sense the blood dripping from my back but I was more concerned about the hair tie. I could feel it tingling a little bit and that meant that she was in a worst condition than I thought.

After lash 25th ended, the thing that I feared the most happened: everything went black. I didn't black out, but I knew that Chihiro did. 'Chihiro...'

"Well, I see you took your punishment like a man. For this I will grant you to end your contract in two years time. But don't try anything funny or I may change my mind. As for the rest of you, this happens when you disregard me." She said in her usual nasty voice.

With this she returned back to her office and the guests started to leave, although the bathhouse had just opened. Lin and some of her Yunas came to my help. They took me to my room and straight to the bathtub, which Kamaji filled with healing water.

But right now I couldn't care less about myself. All that mattered was Chihiro...

* * *

_A/N: What did you think about this chapter?_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

_I know it's a little later than usual, but the next chapter has arrived._

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 9: Hospital**

**Chihiro's POV**

I laid here in darkness. I had the feeling that I was here for a long time. I started to move my eyes. They were the only part of my body that didn't hurt. Everything else was sore. Groggily I started to open them and it took me a while until I was able to see anything. At first I didn't knew what was going on. My parents had some gloomy faces and they were looking at me like I had grown another head.

"Uh... Ah... Where am I?" I asked in a hoarse voice trying to pull myself up, but after the third try I gave up and laid back on the pillows. At least they were comfortable.

"You're at the hospital, sweetie. How are you feeling? You had us really scared." said mom in a very gentle girl but still didn't approach the bed.

"Like someone trampled all over me..." I said with difficulty trying to swallow past the lump of coal that was in my throat.

Just then the door to the ward opened and through it came an army of doctors and nurses. Although there were another 5 patients in the ward, the crowd proceeded towards my bed.

"Hello, Chihiro. I am dr. Fujimoto." Said the doctor that was closest to me. He seemed to be about 40 years old, his hair was pitch black and his eyes were the color of honey. His skin was fair and he was medium built. It didn't look like a kind person, but his eyes told a different story. For a few moments I thought he could see right through me and he would try to pity and comfort me all at the same time.

"Hello..." I croaked trying very hard to speak.

"How are you feeling?" He asked in a concerned voice.

"Like I was run over by I train..." I said feeling my muscles very sore.

"Ok. So how much do you remember from last Saturday?" He asked again in his kind voice.

"Last Saturday? What day is today?" I asked feeling a little panic rising.

"It's Wednesday. Ten days have passed since you arrived at the hospital." He responded in a comforting voice, but that didn't keep me from panicking further.

"Ten days?! That can't be. Last night I saw Haku being..." I started to say but my father cut me off.

"Who is Haku?" He asked in a very serious tone.

'This is as good a moment as any to tell them about what happened in the Spirit World' I thought to myself and started to talk: "Well... Since we are all here, I might as well tell you. A little over a month ago we moved to our new home. While driving there my dad took a wrong turn and we ended up in front of a tunnel that lead to a train station."

"Are you referring to the day you saw the river and the dragon statue and we couldn't find you?" Asked my mom, concern written all over her face.

"Yes, mom."

"But you were gone for 5 to 10 minutes. What do you have to tell us?" she asked again, now confusion took the place of concern on her face.

"Well... I wasn't gone for only ten minutes. What we didn't know is that the train station is a portal to the Spirit World..." I started to say, but mu dad cut me off again.

"What are you talking about? There is no such thing!" He said, anger plastered all over his face.

"Yes, there is. We followed the smell of food all the way to town and you found a restaurant, which had plenty of food on display, and the both of you started to eat. You told me to eat, but I didn't want to. The place gave me the creeps, so I decided to go exploring some more." I said in a small voice feeling very tired.

"Chihiro, stop with the lying!" yelled my dad and made everyone, including myself, flinch.

"Mr Ogino... Please, let Chihiro tell her story. Maybe it will help us to find out what is wrong with her and what caused the episode." Said dr. Fujimoto in a placating tone.

"So I left you guys to your food and climbed some steps and then I saw a bathhouse. I even saw the train that we heard earlier..." I started to say, but this time my mom cut me off.

"What train?" She asked, looking at me like I had grown a second head.

"When we stopped into the meadow we heard a train and we wondered where it was passing." I started to explain but I was cut off again.

"We didn't hear any trains. You have an over active imagination, Chihiro..." mom started to say, but this time dr. Fujimoto cut her off.

"Mrs. Ogino, please, let her finish." He said in an impatient voice.

"When I was watching the train, a boy came near me and told me that I have to before it gets dark. So I ran to where you were... only you weren't yourselves." I said in a very small voice, being afraid of what I was about to say.

"What do you mean?" asked my father.

"You... well... you have been turned into pigs..." I said in no more than a whisper, but still everyone could hear it.

"WHAT?" Yelled my father. "How can you say such a thing? Stop with the lying, Chihiro! There is no such thing as humans turning into pigs. I can't stand here and hear your lies." Said my dad and stormed off of the ward.

My mom's reaction wasn't that bad, but she too left the ward. I was left alone with the army of doctors and nurses. Seeing this, dr. Fujimoto told the rest of the staff to leave, but he stayed behind.

'I knew they would doubt this, but I didn't think they would actually abandon me...'

* * *

_A/N: What do you think?_

_ Excuse the typing mistakes I may have made._

_ I will post as soon as I can (I have to start work again). I have the first 28 chapters written down so the story is going strong. _


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Chapter 10: No paper**

**Chihiro's POV**

The next weeks passed really slow. By the first Friday I realized I wouldn't see much of my mother and father. At first I cried my eyes out for being alone, but then I remembered Haku being beaten and I started to panic because I couldn't find my hair tie anywhere. I asked the nurses and the other patients if they saw it, but their response was: "Your hair was loose when you came in."

I knew I had to convince dr. Fujimoto to speak to my parents to bring me my hair tie and paper and crayons.

By the fourth day I couldn't wait any longer so I asked a nurse to call dr. Fujimoto. I knew the situation can get worse, but I didn't care. Without the connection to Haku I was really losing my mind.

"How are you feeling today Chihiro?" Asked dr. Fujimoto after closing the door to the ward.

"Better... Can I ask you a favor dr. Fujimoto?" I asked quickly, before I lost the courage.

"Ok..." he said with a puzzled look on his face.

"Have you talked to my parents?" I asked trying to build up the courage to ask him what I wanted.

"Yes. I talked to them last night to tell them that we could release you from the hospital in a couple of days. Seeing that there is nothing wrong with you physically, you could go home and rest until you recuperate." He said in a clipped voice.

"And what did they say?" I asked hopeful, although in my heart I already knew the answer.

"Well... They... aren't quite ready to welcome you back home just yet." He said with commiseration.

"i figured that... But could you ask them to bring me my purple hair tie and some paper and crayons? If I'm stuck here, at least I want to have something to do." I said feeling sad.

"Of course. I'll go telephone them right now. If I can't come back with the answer, I'll send a nurse to deliver it. Ok?" He said in his usual kind voice.

"Yes. Thank you so much!" I said with a big smile feeling happy for the first time since I woke up in the hospital.

Dr. Fujimoto left the ward and I fell asleep waiting for the answer and dreamt of my Haku.

Half an hour or so later, a nurse came in and woke me up to tell me: "Your parents said that they will send the hair tie, but no paper or crayons."

"But why?" I asked really confused.

"They said that you were drawing when it happened and they don't want to trigger another episode." She said giving me a sympathetic look.

That crushed me like a ton of bricks. I waited for the nurse to leave and then I started to cry for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few days.

Later in the evening the same nurse came in with the hair tie from my parents. 'They didn't even bother to come to bring it themselves.' At least now I had something to do. I could try to see Haku or at least try to figure out how this thing was working.

The next morning I had the first surprise in a long time. The other patients in the ward must have heard the nurse that I wouldn't be getting paper and crayons and heard my heart wrenching cries and they donated some money so that, when the nurse came, she brought me at least 200 sheets of paper and 50 crayons in different hues.

"I hope you are ready to draw." She said with a kind smile on her face.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I was like the kid in the candy store, only with lots of beautiful crayons.

"Thank you so much! This is the best surprise ever!" I said, tears of joy tickling my eyes.

Leaving me to my own devices, I knew I had to somehow thank the other patients, the nurse and dr. Fujimoto. So I started to draw...

But it wasn't that easy. Trying to draw something other than dragons with teal mane wasted the first 10 or so sheets of paper. But it was a real waste or paper and time. I've spent the first few days doing this. Nothing good came out. By Thursday I decided to give up on drawing for a while and focus on the hair tie.

But that wasn't of any use either. It just stood there like any other hair tie. And then...

_A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger. I'll update soon, so you don't have to wait too long._

_What did you think of the chapter?_


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 11: Distinguished guests**

**Haku's POV**

I woke up with a jolt, only to fall back on the pillows. At the moment of the beating I didn't feel much, because I was more concerned with Chihiro. But now it feels like I've been run over by the train that passes underneath the bathhouse.

The second attempt at getting up didn't go any better, but this time it wasn't because of the injuries, but because someone pushed me back onto the pillows.

"Where do you think you're going, mister?" said Lin in a rather harsh tone.

"I need to... I... What happened?" I mumbled a little disorientated.

"What is the last thing that you remember?" She asked in a calmer tone.

"I took a whipping from Yubaba but she promised to reduce the term of my contract." I said feeling my head very fuzzy.

"Good. But now I have a question." She said in confusion.

"Shoot!"

"You took a whipping on the back..." She started to say but I cut her off rather rudely, my patience running thin.

"And what is the question, Lin?"

"Why do you have a burn on your left palm?" She asked in confusion.

Looking at my left palm I saw what looked like a burn mark and then I remembered: "Chihiro! Where is the hair tie?!" I asked in panic and tried to get up again, only to be pushed back by Lin.

"Here it is." She said pulling the hair tie out from her robes. "But isn't it a little girly even for you?" she asked in a cheeky voice.

"Lin... This is not what it looks like. Chihiro has one too. They were a gift from Zeniba. And a week or so ago I figured out that it was some sort of portal." I said as I reached for Lin's hand.

"A portal? So you can cross into the Human World through it?" She asked in a hopeful voice.

"Not exactly. But I can sense and see Chihiro when she touches her hair tie." I said in a tired voice.

"Oh, that's good. At least you can keep an eye on her." She added with a kind smile on her face, something that was very rare for her.

"Yeah... But that wasn't such a good idea on Saturday." I said not being able to hide the hurt in my voice, remembering what I sensed.

"Why?" she asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

"I could feel the hair tie trembling lightly at first, then faster. It started to thrash and water was coming out of it, which means she was crying really badly." I told her and watched her face fall.

"And what happened?" she asked in an alarmed voice.

"At the end I lost the connection with her. I think she wasn't conscious. That's why I need it. I have to try to contact her." I said and pleaded her with my eyes to not keep me waiting any longer.

At the last minute I remembered something I needed to ask her: "How long was I asleep?"

"Only a few days." She said and finally agreed to pass me the hair tie.

I took it from Lin and started to concentrate on Chihiro's face. Maybe this way I could trigger it and force it to wake her up. But nothing worked. What's worse is that I didn't even feel her near the hair tie. 'Oh, Chihiro... What happened to you?'

Seeing my mood sink through the floor, Lin started to speak: "Let's focus on getting you better..." She started to say and seeing that I wanted to protest, she covered my mouth with her hand and continued. "Don't argue with me. I know you want to help Chihiro, but if you're in a bad shape, you can't help her." She said with something that felt like compassion. I never knew she had it in her.

"I know..." I said knowing that, although I didn't want it, she was right.

With the last ounce of my strength I stood up and helped by Lin and one of the Yunas, Rigato, I managed to go to the bathroom and sink in the bathtub, letting the healing water work its magic.

"Lin..." I said as she was getting ready to leave.

"What is it?" She asked in a much nicer tone than her usual one.

"Thank you... for everything. I know I am a bit harsh sometimes, but until now I had periods of time in which I didn't feel like myself." I said feeling a little ashamed about my previous behavior.

"Don't mention it. Let's get you all healed up so that you can bring back our girl." She added in a comforting voice and with a kind smile on her face.

'What is happening to Lin? Maybe a spirit is possessing her.' I thought to myself but decided to ignore my worries. Lin was much nicer now and nobody wanted that to change.

* * *

The next day I was feeling as good as new, but Lin still didn't let me get out of bed. She even received a punishment from Yubaba for standing up to her when she wanted to send me to do her dirty work.

On Wednesday I refused to let Lin take another punishment so I barged into Yubaba's office to see what she wanted me to do.

"Well, well, well... Glad you could join us, Haku..." She sneered at me.

"What do you want Yubaba? What is my task for today?" I asked in a very irritated voice.

"We are expecting a few wealthy guests and I want the whole bathhouse to be really prepared." She said, and the prospect of making a huge amount of money could be seen in her eyes.

"We re always prepared and you know it. Why are these guests so important?" I asked in a more irritated voice than before.

"Because they are King Kokuo and Queen Joo." She added in the most calm and content voice I ever heard her use.

"The King and Queen of Kamikakushi?!" I asked not believing my ears.

"The very same. I want you to prepare them our very best room and hire the best employees to serve them."

"Ok. Is that all?" I asked feeling eager to start my task for our distinguished guests.

"Yes... And to think that Lin and the rest of the Yunas said I have no heart... See? I didn't give you a hard task on your first day back..." She concluded feeling very proud of herself.

Leaving Yubaba's office I went downstairs to the main lobby and gathered half of the staff, knowing that the rest would find out soon enough.

"I don't know if you heard yet, but today we have some very important guests coming to the bathhouse." I started to say but had to pause.

"Who?" "What?" "Important guests?" "Maybe they are wealthy!" started the voices all over the lobby, some whispering others almost shouting.

"Would you let me finish?!" I yelled a little more forceful than I wanted.

A dead silence fell over the lobby and I was glad they knew I was back on business.

"Our guests are King Kokuo and Queen Joo..."

Gasps could be heard all the way to the top floors. I knew that now I really got their attention.

"So we need to scrub the golden tub. Who thinks can take care of that?" I asked knowing that the job would have many who wished to fulfill it.

"I will do it!" came a voice from the far left.

The people in front moved to the side to reveal the speaker, but I already knew who it was: it was Lin.

"Lin... You should be in bed resting..." I started to say thinking of the punishment she took for me.

"No, Haku! I can take a punishment and you need some very good people today to pull this off. So you will not be sending me to bed!" She said in her usually bossy voice.

"Fine. Choose your team and you can go to work." I agreed knowing that I couldn't convince her otherwise. "As for the rest of you: Chef Yuki - I want you to be in half an hour in my office with the menu for the King and Queen; Makiko - choose your team of servers and I want you to bring the list to my office in 35 minutes; and Kimoshi - choose the maids that will be looking after the King and queen and bring me the list in 40 minutes." I said and everyone scurried off to do his or her tasks.

Giving orders felt good but it left me drained so I took the elevator up to my office for a little peace and quiet and also to see if I could see Chihiro through the hair tie. Half an hour passed but to no avail. The hair tie stood there in my hand but nothing happened, although I could feel it getting stronger by the minute. 'Maybe Chihiro is ok and she is getting closer to the hair tie...' I thought trying to reassure myself.

I didn't have time to finish my thought, because Chef Yuki came with the menu. It was an excellent one, fit for royalty. If I wasn't feeling like crap maybe I would have like to try a thing or two. After that, Makiko came. He did choose the best of the servers and Kimoshi did an excellent job as well at choosing the maids.

This gave me a little satisfaction, knowing that, although Yubaba was the boss, I was actually running the bathhouse. This gave me hope. 'Maybe I can run the bathhouse someday...'

* * *

_A/N: Another chapter done. What did you think? I researched and Kokuo means "king" in Japanese and Joo means "queen". At least I hope I am right. If not, I am sorry :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I wait your reviews._


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 12: Looney bin**

**Chihiro's POV**

The next couple of days were spent drawing intensively and trying to get a hold of Haku through the hair tie.

When I thought all hope of seeing my parents was lost, on Saturday morning the door to the ward opened and in stepped my mom. But the concern that was written on her face soon disappeared and despair was now in its place. Seeing the tens of sheets covered in dragons, made my mom scream in horror.

"Chihiro! NO! Where did you get the crayons and the papers?!" she asked annoyed and scared at the same time.

"Uh... I received them as a gift. And I want to thank the ones who donated money by drawing something for them." I said in a very small voice.

"You will do no such thing! Give me those! Last time you were drawing, you almost died." She said, anger and sadness being detected in her voice.

"But... mom! I didn't die and drawing makes me feel calm..." I tried to tell her but she was having none of it.

"No! Nurse! Can you please call the doctor? I would really like to speak with him." She said even angrier than before.

I didn't have time to save any of the finished drawings, but I managed to hide 3 sheets of paper and the three most important crayons: teal, light blue and bright green.

When dr. Fujimoto came into the ward I knew from my mother's expression that I wouldn't go home very soon.

"I want to know who is responsible for this, dr. Fujimoto. I specifically said no paper or crayons and my daughter is surrounded by them! How long has this been going on?" She asked in a screeching voice.

"I don't know, Mrs. Ogino. This is the first time I've seen Chihiro draw. I will have to ask the nurse." Said the doctor with a twinkle in his eye, knowing full well that the first drawing of Haku in his dragon form stood on the wall of his office.

"Fine. But in the meantime I want you to move my daughter to the psychiatric ward." She added with determination.

"WHAT?!" I couldn't believe it. Even my mom thought I was crazy. My dad... I understood. He was a harsher person, but mom...

"Mrs. Ogino... I don't think Chihiro needs to go to the psychiatric ward." Said dr. Fujimoto trying to calm down my mom.

"If you don't move her there, I will take her to another hospital and another doctor who will!" She added seething and a menacing look spread across her face.

"Fine. I will go make the arrangements." He acquiesced seeing that there was no way to convince my mom.

'What?' I really couldn't believe what was happening. If my mom's betrayal hurt me greatly, the one of dr. Fujimoto was immense. 'I really thought he believed that I wasn't crazy. After all he accepted the drawing...' That's when I felt I wouldn't be going home for a long time.

But at the last moment, dr. Fujimoto turned and winked at me. 'Maybe this won't be so bad after all...'

* * *

By evening I left the general ward and arrived at the psychiatric ward on the ninth floor. 'Why do they place suicidal and manic people so high up in the building? To have more time to fly towards the ground?' I thought to myself and tried not to chuckle.

This time I was alone in my room. It was one of those you see in movies. It had walls covered in foam; it was all white and had a bed in the corner. I know it looked pretty bad, but at least I would be alone and could figure out how the hair tie worked.

My mom was satisfied with the room, so she went home. After this, dr. Fujimoto and a nurse I didn't see before came in to talk to me.

"This is nurse Kishi. She will be your nurse as long as you stay here. No one else is allowed in here, except for me or her." Said dr. Fujimoto with a kind smile.

"Hello! Nice to meet you, nurse Kishi. I'm Chihiro." I said and bowed to show my respect.

"Hello, Chihiro. I know you are a little scared about being here, but if you do as I say maybe you'll be home in a few weeks." She said and got closer to me to put an arm around my shoulders.

"Okay..." I said a little scared of what she meant.

"Now, nurse Kishi has a special ability. She can read minds. So if you want her to come to your room, you just have to think of her." Said dr. Fujimoto in a serious voice, but I knew I didn't need to be scared of him.

"Wow..." Was all I managed to say.

After the introductions were made, they left me alone to rest. But I thought to put the theory to the test and thought about nurse Kishi. Within a few seconds she was standing in the doorframe, smiling.

"Wanted to see if it works?" She asked and a kind voice and with a small smile on her lips.

"Well... yeah" I said a little embarrassed that I made her turn back. "And I am also a little... scared." I said in almost a whisper.

"Of what, sweetie? You know you're here just so I can help you." She said entering the room and coming to sit on my bed.

"What? Help me? How?" I asked a little confused.

"You want to see Haku again, don't you?" She asked looking carefully at me.

"How do you know about Haku?" I asked more confused than before.

"I know a lot of things, Chihiro. Or should I call you Sen?" She asked with a mischievous smile on her lips.

"What did you call me? How did you...?" I asked with a very puzzled look on my face.

"I am a spirit. My actual name is Kawaakago. And when you were in the Spirit World you treated me very well." She said with warmth in her eyes and a gentle smile on her lips.

"Sorry, but I really don't know you." I said feeling more lost than before.

"I threatened to break your arm the first time I met you if you didn't play with me." She said with a somewhat sad smile on her face.

"Boh? But how...? When...? What...?" I started to ask so rapidly that I didn't get to finish any of my questions.

"Yeah. That's me." She said with a cheeky smile.

"It's so nice to see you again! Although you don't look nothing like you used to be." I said a little embarrassed that this beautiful woman was actually a giant baby.

"Boh is only a disguise. I am the spirit that takes the form of a crying baby." She explained.

"Does Yubaba know?" I asked a little concerned that's this might be a trap.

"Of course not. She is a great witch, but she misses what's right in front of her eyes." She said with a light chuckle.

I stood there dumbstruck; not believing that is pretty blonde nurse was actually Boh.

"Enough chit chat for now. I don't want to be rude but you need to rest and I need to return to the bathhouse before Yubaba returns." She said while getting up from the bed.

"Wait! Why can't I go with you?" I asked close to tears.

"Because you left once and now you can return to the Spirit World only helped by your true love." She said with a compassionate smile, getting ready to go.

"What are you talking about? I don't love anyone in the spirit world. I barely made any friends there..." I started to speak, although I knew it was a lie.

"Really? You don't love anyone there?" Asked nurse Kishi amused and raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"Well... I don't... It can't..." I started to say but then I knew I couldn't deny it any longer. "Haku..."

"Yes." Was all she said.

"So what do I do? How do I contact Haku so that he can help me cross into the Spirit World?" I asked confused.

"For now, you must rest. I will see you tomorrow morning and then, if you feel up to it, we will begin your training." She said in a serious but kind voice.

"Training...? For what?" I asked more puzzled than before.

"To become a spirit..."

And then, as fast as she came, she was gone; leaving me to wonder if I didn't really went crazy.

* * *

_A/N: Kawaakago is the spirit that takes the form of a crying baby. "Nurse Kishi" is not actually Boh himself, but they share the same body._

_If you have any questions or you are confused leave a message and I'll try to respond as quickly as I can and I hope the explanation satisfies you. :)_

_What did you think of the chapter? I really appreciate your reviews. See you soon!_


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

_Yay! The story has over 1.100 views. I am so happy and grateful to each and every one of you!_

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 13: Last preparations**

**Haku's POV**

The next four to five hours were spent in preparation of the visit. I made sure that everything was fine, because I didn't have much time to spare and try to get a hold of Chihiro through the hair tie.

Just before 8 p.m. the Royal staff made an appearance to make sure that everything was ready and soon after that the King and Queen stepped into our bathhouse. I'm not a spirit that gets impressed easily, but I think my jaw dropped.

King Kokuo was an Earth spirit so his robes were a forest green and at the bottom they were turning a dark brown. His hair was dark brown as well, wavy and brushed his shoulders. His honey colored eyes emanated kindness. His presence was overwhelming and although he didn't look mean, nobody had the guts to look at him. On the other hand, Queen Joo was an air spirit. Her robes were almost white and they seemed to be made out of clouds. They looked like they were flowing. Her blonde hair reached her thighs and she was so beautiful it was hard to look at her. Her eyes were a deep blue and you could get lost in them. But her most beautiful feature was her kind smile that was plastered all over her face. She had a very motherly feel about her, although I knew she didn't have any kids.

I think I stood there for a minute or two just staring at them, before Lin came behind me and pushed me to welcome them.

"Hello, your majesties! Welcome King Kokuo and Queen Joo! My name is Haku. I hope you will find your stay here very enjoyable." I said as I bowed all the way to the ground and the other workers followed my lead.

"Hello, Haku. We heard much about you." Said the King as we all rose.

"You have?! I mean... I'm honored... I didn't think..." I started to mumble a little embarrassed from being in their presence.

"What? That the King and Queen of the spirit world would know their subjects? Or that you didn't matter?" He asked with a kind smile while placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Well... a little bit of both." I said more embarrassed than before knowing that I questioned the King's knowledge.

At this the King started to laugh and approached me. I'm no coward, but I kind of flinched a little.

"Haku, we would like to take our baths now and after that we would like you to be our special guest for dinner." He said close to me so that only I could hear (at least that's what I thought).

"But... Yubaba is the ruler of the bathhouse... I don't think she would like it if..." I started to say but was cut off by the King.

"Don't you worry about Yubaba. I don't think she will be ruling this establishment much longer. I see a bright future for you and Chihiro." He said in a whisper.

At this last piece of information I almost bursted into tears. Knowing that the Spirit King was on my side is fantastic.

Then he walked away and I just stood there frozen on the spot like a statue. If it wasn't for Lin I think I would have missed the dinner.

"Haku! Haku! Snap out of it! You look like you've seen a human. What's the matter? What did the King say?" She asked with a little worry in her voice but then she reversed to her old bossy self.

"He..." I stuttered, but was cut off by her.

"I'm going to punch you in the stomach if you don't start talking sooner!" She almost yelled at me but this got me to snap out of my state.

"He told me that... I can't tell you here. Come into my office in five minutes and I'll tell you."

Knowing that the bath will take almost two hours I knew I had the time to talk to Lin in private. But first I had to go one last time to the kitchen to make sure the food was ready. Leaving the kitchen I took the elevator to my office and to my surprise Lin was already waiting for me at the door.

"So, spill the beans, Haku!" She said very impatient.

"Not out here. Come in and wait a minute."

We both entered the office and I started performing some spells so that no one could hear our conversation.

"Okay. Happy now? No one can hear us or sense us speak. Now spill the beans!" She said very irritated.

"Well... First of all he invited me to dinner." I said in a small voice.

"I know that! I was standing right behind you. Skip to the part that made you white as a human." She said and started to giggle at her own little joke.

"He told me that he doesn't think Yubaba will run this bathhouse much longer." I said and closed my eyes to envision the King telling me this.

"That's great! Maybe we can even get paid from now on." She said gleeful.

"Yeah. And he told me that he sees a bright future for me and Chihiro." I said in a whisper and I didn't even know if Lin heard me at first, but then she started to yell her questions.

"What? How does he know...? When...?"

"I don't know, but I plan to find out at dinner. Speaking of it, could you help me find some clothes that are more appropriate?" I asked feeling a little embarrassed to go to dinner with the King and Queen of the Spirit World in my work clothes.

"Ok. But under one condition." She said with a scowl and placing her hands on her hips.

"Fine. What do you want?" I said a little annoyed. 'Everyone has conditions if you ask them to help you.' I thought to myself feeling a little disappointed in my fellow spirits, knowing that Chihiro never asked for anything in return.

"You remember everything you talk about and then you tell me. You don't leave out any details." She responded in her usual bossy voice.

"Okay. But if it's something about Chihiro that I find too personal, I won't tell you." I said in a stern voice to let her know that I was being dead serious about this.

"Fine! Now let's get you in that bathtub while me and the girls make you some clothes appropriate for dinner with the King." She said in a much calmer voice and started to shove me towards the bathroom.

An hour or so later I was bathed and dressed and ready to go to dinner. 'I don't look that bad if I could say so myself.'

Before going to dinner I took the hair tie out of my inside pocket and sat at the desk and tried to get a hold of Chihiro. 'I'd like to know her opinion about how I look.' But unfortunately the hair tie just stood there in the palm of my hand. 'Maybe the intense emotions that she went through when she watched me get beaten were too powerful and it somehow broke it. We'll have to fix it. And soon...'

_A/N: Another chapter done. I know it's not that big compared to other authors, but I am getting there. I already written chapter 40 and by the looks of it I have another 35 to go (or more)._

_Any questions and dilemmas you have send me a private message or a review and I'll answer them._

_Got the "_You look like you've seen a human_" joke? :)_


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 14: The beginning of training**

**Chihiro's POV**

'Maybe I am crazy... Maybe I am crazy...' these words are playing right now in my head. 'But it all felt so real, and I know so many names and so many details of the bathhouse and... But maybe I just have an over active imagination, just like mom said.'

Feeling bone tired and emotionally drained I climbed on the bed and tried to get some sleep, but something was poking me in the ribs. It was the sheets of paper and the crayons that I managed to hide. So I jumped off the bed and hid them under the mattress. 'Maybe they believe I'm not crazy, but I don't want to remain locked in here forever.'

So I took out my hair tie and started playing with it, in hopes of reaching Haku, but it didn't work. It was almost like it has lost its magic. Slowly but surely, the stress and emotions of the day took over me and I fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

The next day I woke up when the sun was up in the sky. Being afraid to get caught drawing I just laid in bed and waited for someone to come. After a couple of minutes of daydreaming I started to think about nurse Kishi and she appeared at my door carrying a tray of food.

"Good morning, Chihiro! How are you feeling? Did you sleep okay?" She asked in her usual kind voice.

"Good morning. I'm better than yesterday. As for sleep, I didn't catch much..." I said still trying to wake up.

"Why? Isn't the bed comfortable enough?" She asked in a concerned voice and getting ready to perform some magic.

"It is. It's just... Are you really Boh and almost 2 months ago I visited the Spirit World?" I asked a little embarrassed about my question.

"Yes and yes. You are not going crazy, Chihiro." She said with a light chuckle.

"But what do I feel like...?" I asked feeling my cheeks getting redder by the second.

"Relax, Chihiro. You aren't crazy and you're not becoming crazy. It's just a little hard to separate the Spirit World from the Human one. Why don't you have a little breakfast and then we'll talk some more at lunch? I know you have a lot of questions, but I can't be away for too long during the working hours. I have to pretend to be there. For now, eat and sleep as much as you can." She said handing me the tray with food.

"Deal. Thank you very much, nurse Kishi." I said with an appreciative smile.

"You are most welcome. Now eat, and I'll see you at lunch." She said with kindness.

And then she was gone, leaving me a little more hopeful that I wasn't crazy.

Slowly, I started to eat and noticed that the food tasted and looked very different from the one that I had a couple of days ago. 'Unless... It's Spirit World food.' I started to eat like there was no tomorrow, thinking that maybe this way I could return sooner to the Spirit World, but soon remembered the last time someone ate Spirit World food like a pig, so I slowed down and chewed carefully and savored the food.

After breakfast, I pushed the tray under the door and started to think about something to do to occupy my time until lunch. The only thing I had was my crayons and paper or the hair tie. I played with the hair tie for a while, but nothing happened so I decided to draw a little. Giving the fact that I only had three sheets of paper, and not knowing how much longer would I have to spend here, I decided to use as much space of the sheet as possible.

Instead of having one Haku on the page, I decided to make him as small as possible and only draw three of him a day.

Between drawing and staring at the hair tie, I managed to kill a couple of hours. Then lunch came and so did nurse Kishi, but unfortunately she couldn't stay much time. The food was amazing as well, and although I was fairly certain I wouldn't turn into a pig, I still ate carefully.

After lunch I decided to take a long nap, which allowed me to wake up very refreshed and also remember the rest of my friends from the Spirit World. But after my nap I started to feel nervous. 'Soon it will be dinnertime. Nurse Kishi will come and I have to start my training to become a spirit. What does that training imply? Will it hurt? What will I have to do?...' All these questions came to an abrupt end when the door opened and nurse Kishi made an appearance.

"What's wrong, Chihiro? You look really scared. What happened?" She asked in a very concerned voice.

"Nothing..." I started to say although I didn't believe myself.

"It's definitely not nothing. What's wrong? You are whiter than Haku." She said with commiseration.

"I'm scared..." was all I managed to say.

"Of what, sweetie? Did I do something wrong? Did something happen today to make you scared?" She asked again with more concern written on her face.

"No. It's just... I'm scared about the training." I responded.

"Oh, sweetie... It's okay. You're not going to get hurt and what we'll manage to do while you are here is only the beginning. Maybe you are gonna feel a little tired, but that's it." She said in a sympathetic tone.

"Oh... Okay." I replied somewhat embarrassed that I made a fool of myself.

"Hey... Don't be embarrassed. These are perfectly natural emotions. You're not the only one to feel that. Even Haku was scared when he entered the Spirit World, although he is actually a spirit." She said in a kind voice while stroking my cheek.

"Wow... Okay, nurse Kishi, I think I'm ready to start my training." I said with renewed confidence.

"Very well. The first few months are going to be quite boring. The first thing you need to do is learn to breathe properly." She said becoming serious.

'Learn to breathe properly? How have I done it until now?' I thought to myself but decided not to ask her that, but instead I said: "Ok... And how do I do that?"

"You need to stop thinking about the air in a scientific way (that it's made out of oxygen and hydrogen) and start to think of it as a spirit. " She explained and started to chuckle when she saw my face: my eyes were ready to pop out of their sockets and my jaw must have hit the mattress.

"Close your eyes and envision the air that surrounds you." She said in a cooing voice.

I did that, but at first nothing happened. 'How can the air be a spirit? But then again, I have been to the Spirit World and now I know that anything is possible.' As soon as I thought this I could feel the air start to move around me, like it was breathing. I could feel it move up and down and sideways and as soon as I opened my eyes I could see the particles that formed it. They were smiling at me and I tentatively smiled back. As soon as I did this I could feel my lungs expanding and I really started to breathe. It was like this was my first lungful of air. It felt amazing and refreshing.

"I think I got it..." a said a little sheepishly and at this nurse Kishi started to smile.

"I know you did it because the spirit told me it's a part of you now." She said with a kind smile and a proud look on her face. "Now that we sorted that, we need to begin your training. Your first state is meditation. Try envisioning the Spirit World." She continued in her usual gentle voice.

Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes I started to think about my friends, the places I visited, the food, the baths and even about those people I didn't like very much.

"I think I got it." I said with a lot more confidence than before.

"Okay. What can you see?" Nurse Kishi asked in her sweet voice.

"I see Haku, and Zeniba, and Lin, and Kamaji, and you in your other form, and my bed at the bathhouse, and Zeniba's house, and No-Face. Even Yubaba is here." I said with a little smile remembering all my friends.

"That's good, but what are they doing?" She asked after I opened my eyes.

"Nothing. They appear right in front of my eyes and they just look at me." I said a little concerned that I must be doing something wrong.

"Ah. This is a good start, but envisioning the Spirit World means you have to see the whole picture. Imagine them working or doing something." She said with her usual kind smile.

"And how do I do that?" I asked with a puzzled look on my face.

"You must clear your mind and let it take over you. You must slowly give up the human world for the one of the spirits." She explained in a friendly voice.

"Okay, I think I can do that." I said not feeling much confident than before.

"Very good. I must leave now, Chihiro. Don't stay up too late. If you feel tired, you must sleep. Unless you've got your full strength, you can't make the journey into the spirit world."

And then, as fast as she appeared she was gone, leaving me to Figure out how to give up the human world...

_A/N: Another chapter done and this one was also quite big. What did you think of it? I'm looking forward to your reviews or comments. See you next time!_


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 15: Dinner with their majesties**

**Haku's POV**

"Hey! Haku! Snap out of it! You don't want to be late! Don't let the King and Queen wait for you." Came the voice of the most irritating spirit in the world.

"Stop it, Lin. I'm not going to be late." I said in an annoyed voice.

"Really? It's well past 10 o'clock. The bath finished 10 minutes ago." She said seething. I'm not sure if she was mad I was getting late or if I didn't go to dinner she would miss the conversation I was supposed to have with the King.

"Oh, crap! I think I must have dozed off when I was daydreaming. It's just that... I can't seem to make the stupid hair tie to work again." I said a little frustrated that nothing seemed to work my way.

"I know you're frustrated, but at least for tonight try to relax. Tomorrow is another day and you can freak out then." She said much calmer than before.

"Okay, I'm going. Wish me luck!" I said trying to swallow past the lump that was forming in my throat.

"Good luck!" She replied and opened her arms to give me a hug but then she thought better and stood back to let me pass.

Feeling a little intimidated I left the room and took the elevator to the floor below. In the short time that passed I thought about the meaning of my visit. 'Why would they like to see me for? How did the King know about Chihiro? And what did he have in store for Yubaba?'

Leaving the elevator I took the short walk to the room. The door opened and I stepped in. I mentally thanked Lin and the girls for taking the time to dress me this nice. My robes were similar to the King's; only instead of forest green and dark brown mine were white and teal.

"Welcome, Haku! We are so glad you could join us." Said the king and invited me to take a seat at the table.

"Thank you so much, King Kokuo! It is an honor to be in your presence and of Queen Joo!" I said bowing before taking a seat.

"I know you're impatient to find out why we called you here, but let's eat first and then we'll talk." Said the King with a kind smile.

Dinner was great. Chef Yuki has really outdone himself. The seven courses looked and tasted divine and for a little while I forgot about my worries and even about Chihiro.

As soon as dinner was finished the servers came and picked everything up leaving us alone for the rest of the night.

"So... maybe you wonder why we called you." Started to speak the king, but I was so impatient that I cut him off: "Yes, very much!... Sorry, your majesty! I didn't mean to interrupt you. It's just that..." I said a little embarrassed about my outburst.

"You miss Chihiro..." He said with a compassionate smile.

"Yes. And I'm also stressed about my contract for Yubaba. I'm afraid that she will try to hurt Zeniba so that she could steal that magic seal... And I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me..." I said almost at the brink of tears.

"Whoa, Haku. I know you're stressed and afraid and another million emotions, but let's take it one at a time and see what we can do. The first one is your contract to Yubaba. We heard what happened last Saturday and we don't approve of her behavior, but again we can't really interfere between her and her employees."

"I know..."

"But we can talk to her and "borrow" you for some missions in the name of the Spirit World. Instead you will come to the palace and train with us and the other Spirit Masters so that you can defeat her someday." He continued in a fatherly voice.

"Thank you so much! I don't know how I ever repay you, your majesty!" I said and stood up so I could bow.

"Just destroy that evil witch!" Said Queen Joo taking us both by surprise. "No spirit should ever control another spirit."

"As for her hurting Zeniba, don't worry so much. She is not as frail as she looks. They are both equally great witches but good always tramples evil... And also, Zeniba was my teacher before I became King. If Yubaba messes with my teacher she will have to answer to me." The King continued in a serious voice.

"Now for the most important part of our conversation: Chihiro returning to the spirit world..." He started to speak, but again I cut him off.

"How can I help her get back? I miss her!" I said feeling my eyes beginning to sting a little.

"I know you do. But that will not be that simple. I have two news about you helping Chihiro get back. One is good and the other one is bad. Which one do you like to hear first?"

After careful consideration I said: "The good one."

"We can help you restore the connection with her through the hair tie that Zeniba gave you." He said with a gentle smile.

"Wow! Great! And what is the bad news?" I asked a little scared of what he may tell me.

"Chihiro is not allowed to return to the Spirit World until she is an adult." He said watching me carefully.

"And when does she become an adult?" I asked more scared than before. 'In the Spirit World you are considered a child until the age off 8000 years old. I hope I don't have to wait that long.' I thought to myself while waiting for the King's response.

"At 18 years old."

"WHAT? But Chihiro is only 10 years old. I will wait forever for her, but that's almost eight years from now." I said whining a little.

"Not exactly." Started to explain the King and seeing the puzzled expression on my face, he continued: "Well, you see, in the Human World, time goes by four times faster than here. You will only have to wait for another two years. And I suggest you spend those years training to become the Spirit Master."

"Great! When do I start?" I asked impatient and hopeful.

"Let me talk to Yubaba first and see if I can convince her to borrow you, and I'll send my Keigo (bodyguard) with her response. But first, give me that hair tie." He said with compassion and a little bit of worry.

I couldn't take it out of my pocket fast enough. Thinking that I'd have to spend another two years without Chihiro was very hard. But maybe this way I could at least see her from time to time and this way time would go by faster.

"Now you must go so that we can perform our ritual of opening this communication portal again. But don't worry, after this I'll go talk to Yubaba and send my Keigo back to you with the response and the hair tie." Said the King with kindness.

Bowing down and thanking them both again for the help they were giving me, I left their room and made my way to mine. For the next half an hour or so I paced nervously the room from one end to the other. Any longer and I would have made a hole in the carpet. My pacing was stopped by a knock at the door and again I couldn't get there fast enough.

"Good evening, Haku" said the Keigo. "I'm here to return this to you." He continued, giving me the hair tie. "And also this: Yubaba's response to the King." He stretched his arm and put the letter in my palm, then as fast as he appeared he was gone.

With shaky fingers I opened the letter and started to read:

_Our dear Haku,_

_I hope we didn't keep you waiting for too long. First of all the hair tie is working again so you can communicate with Chihiro at will. Second of all I managed to talk to Yubaba and ask for your services, but her condition was that you do that outside of your schedule at the bathhouse. This means that you will work at night and then train during the day. I know you will be sleep deprived, but if you care about Chihiro as much as I think you do, you will fight this inconvenience. I will let you rest for today but I will send my Keigo for you tomorrow morning after the bathhouse is closed to bring you to the palace._

_I know it's not the best situation, but you'll have to work very hard._

_ Best wishes,_

_ King Kokuo and Queen Joo_

Feeling happier than ever I started to laugh and cry. I was so happy that I could train to become a Spirit Master so that I could bring Chihiro back.

"I'd do anything for you, Chihiro..."

Feeling tired I decided to have some rest. I changed and got into bed, taking the hair tie with me. At first I didn't think it worked. It's just stood there like before, but after a minute or two of thinking about Chihiro it started to glow brighter than it did before. I closed my eyes just in time, because it zapped me and then in front of me stood Chihiro... in a strange room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
_A/N: Yay! Another chapter is done. I am so looking forward to your reviews our comments or whatever._


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 16: Revelations**

**Chihiro's POV**

Feeling tired from concentrating that much I decided to take nurse Kishi's advice and sleep for a while. But I didn't seem to find rest because I felt like I was being watched. Knowing that I was alone in the room and that nobody else had access, I knew it could only mean one thing: Haku repaired the connection from the hair tie.

I untied my hair and started playing with the hair tie and then it happened: those emerald green eyes that made me feel safe started looking intently at me. Soon after, Haku's whole face appeared in front of me, and I stretched my hand to touch him, although I knew he couldn't be in the room. My hand went right through his face, like that time when I arrived in the Spirit World and I haven't eaten anything from there. I pulled back my hand and concentrated again on his face. He was looking like he was going through so many emotions: happiness, fear, anger, joy and sorrow...

"Haku! I'm so glad I can see you! You have no idea what I went through in the past few days..." I started to speak but stopped suddenly when confusion spread all over his face and he started to talk but I couldn't hear a word he was saying. I knew then that he couldn't hear me either, so I decided to do the next best thing, which was to curl up on the bed in a comfortable position and keep looking at him until I fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up a couple hours later and when I opened my eyes Haku wasn't there, because in my sleep I dropped the hair tie. I grabbed it and started to play with it but there was nothing there. There was just blackness. 'Maybe he has work to do.' I said to myself and feeling more tired than ever I drifted right back to sleep.

The next day, nurse Kishi came with my breakfast and watched me meditate for a while, but then she had to go back to sleep as well. After breakfast I started to draw my miniature Haku. When I was about finished the key to the room slid into the lock and the door open. There stood dr. Fujimoto looking a little tired but happy at the same time.

"Hello, Chihiro. How are you today?" He asked in a cheerful voice, although I could see he was tired.

"I'm okay, dr. Fujimoto. How about you, sir? I don't mean to be rude but you look a little tired. Haven't you slept good?" I asked hoping that I wouldn't offend him with my questions.

"I'm okay, Chihiro. It's just that I was on duty last night at the hospital and I couldn't go and take my usual bath." He said and I could see that his eyes we're getting a little heavier.

"But why don't you take a bath now? I think the hospital has baths. I'm sure you will feel better." I told him feeling awkward that I was giving advice to my doctor. And the most shocking part was that he wasn't even upset that I had the nerve to tell him what to do. He looked a little amused.

"Chihiro... I can't take a bath at the hospital. It won't do me any good. It won't help me to replenish." He said watching me carefully like I was about to explode.

'Replenish... What a funny word. Where did I heard that before?' I thought for a second until the evil witch's voice rang in my ears: _"This is a bathhouse for the spirits. They come here to replenish."_

"WHAT?! You are a spirit as well?" I almost yelled at him.

"Yes, Chihiro. My actual name is Sukuna-Biko and I am the god of healing, agriculture in hot springs." He said in the calmest voice.

"But how...? When...? Who...? What about...?" I started to ask all these questions so fast that dr. Fujimoto started to chuckle.

"Slow down, Chihiro. I will answer all your questions. What is your first one?" He asked feeling amused, although he wasn't laughing anymore.

"How did you get here, at this hospital?" I started my first question, trying to remember what was my next one.

"The spirit King sent me to the Human World on the day of your return. He wanted to have someone keep an eye on you, in case something happened" he said patiently.

"But why would the King of Spirits care about my well being?" I asked a little surprised.

"That I can't tell you. I don't know it either. He just wanted someone to watch over you." He said in a gentle voice.

"Okay... But what about nurse Kishi?" I asked hoping to put the pieces together.

"Nurse Kishi is my wife. I asked her to look after you when I was busy. There is quite a lot of work to do when you are a doctor." He told me proudly.

"Wow... But I thought that you had to have a connection to the Human World to enter." I said a little dumbstruck remembering that Haku couldn't return because his river didn't exist anymore.

"That is true for the bounded spirits... those who are bounded to an element or an object. Me on the other hand, I am a God and I can pass between the two worlds at my free will. Of course I can't go to the Spirit World when I'm in the middle of a surgery." He said chuckling lightly.

At this point I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or to cry. On one hand I was happy to meet another spirit and on the other I was baffled about this new discovery.

"Okay... So if you can come to the Human World at your free will, could you bring someone along with you?" I asked feeling hopeful.

"Who do you have in mind?" Asked dr. Fujimoto eyeing me suspiciously.

"No... I wasn't talking...about anyone in particular... I was just wondering..." I responded feeling my cheeks hot as the water at the bathhouse and knowing full well that they must look cherry red by now.

"Are you sure there isn't someone you would like to see?" He asked with a kind voice.

"Well... I would like to see...Haku..." I said in a voice so small I wasn't sure that the doctor who was standing ten feet away from me even heard me.

"My dear Chihiro... I know you must miss him, but unless his connection to the human world is repaired he can't come here." He told me with a sad smile.

"Oh... Okay... I was just asking..." I said feeling my cheeks become hotter (like the furnace in the boiler room) and knowing that I must look like a beet right now.

"Do you have anymore questions?" He asked again very calm like he was talking to a wounded animal.

"After I leave the hospital what would you do?" I asked feeling ashamed to ask him such a personal question, but dr. Fujimoto didn't seem to mind.

"I'm not sure. I think I will stay a little while longer, if King Kokuo allows me to. I like working here and helping the sick children." He said with a sad smile, showing that he was thinking about all the sick kids he has seen so far.

"And when do I get to go home?" I asked sheepishly.

"About that... You can go home whenever you like. You know you are not sick and I hate doing this, but your parents must never know. I know what you have experienced must have been traumatic for you but you must learn to better control your feelings." He said in his doctor voice to let me know that he was serious.

"Okay, doctor. I will try harder." I said feeling a little scared that I would end up here again.

"When you go home I will give you some medication..." He started to say but I cut him off rather rude.

"But you said I wasn't sick!" I almost screamed at him again and that earned me a scowl from dr. Fujimoto.

"If you let me finish, I will tell you." He said somewhat irritated.

"I am sorry, sir. I won't interrupt you again." I said wanting to make myself as small as possible in the corner of the room.

"The medication I will give you is only vitamins and candy shaped like pills. They won't have any effect on you, other than make you stronger." He said in a calm voice again.

"Thank you so much, dr. Fujimoto!" I said and jumped from the bed to hug him. In that moment I felt very safe, almost as safe as I did with Haku.

He patted me on the back and returned to his doctor voice. "You know I love your drawings very much, but from now on you must never draw at home."

He didn't have to tell me twice. The last time my mom saw me with paper and crayons she sent me to the Looney bin.

"Don't worry, dr. Fujimoto. It won't happen again." I said feeling sad that my only refuge had to be kept hidden from everyone.

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_A/N: What did you think of this chapter? Dr. Fujimoto is bad. He is giving candy to Chihiro. :)_


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 17: You've got some explaining to do!**

**Haku's POV**

I couldn't believe it. I could see Chihiro like she was standing in front of me, when in reality she was in another world. At first she was surprised, then happiness spread all over her face and she started talking. But I couldn't hear a thing so I started talking as well let her know that. "I can't understand you, Chihiro. I'm sorry it doesn't work that way... I wish I could do something." I said and watched her stop abruptly. Then sadness took the place of happiness and she curled up on the bed with the hair tie clasped in her tiny hand. I watched her sleep for about an hour until the image went black. At first I panicked thinking what could have happened and if she was hurt but then I thought that maybe she let go of the hair tie and that's why I couldn't see her anymore.

Feeling bone tired after a busy and happy night I decided to go to sleep myself knowing that in a couple of hours I had to go to the palace to start my training. I don't think I slept more than 25 minutes when someone started banging on my door. At first I ignored them, thinking that if I didn't respond the person who was on the other side of the door would think I wasn't here and would leave. But there was no such luck...

"Master Haku!" Said the voice from the other side. I knew they wouldn't leave until I came to the door so I reluctantly got out of bed and answered the door.

"What do you want?" I asked the little frog spirit that was hopping before me. I tried to act as annoyed as possible to let him see that he interrupted me from a very important task, but although he seemed scared of me, he was still determined to talk to me and this could only mean one thing: Yubaba sent him.

"Master Haku! I have this message for you." He said jumping up and down. As soon as my hand was on the note he disappeared as fast as he possibly could.

With a heavy heart I went back in the room and started reading the note, which I knew couldn't say anything good.

"Haku,

You must know by now that King Kokuo asked for your services at the Palace. I don't like that you won't be here all the time, but I couldn't say no the King. But my condition was that you can go on missions form the Spirit World when you aren't working for me. So this is your list of chores for the week. When you finish that you can go to the palace."

Out of nowhere a scroll appeared. When I opened it, it stretched the entire length of the room. I scanned over the 257 chores really quickly. They ranged from "sing to Boh at bedtime" to "clean the pig pen" to "go to X City and collect the ransom".

Being only Monday I figured I could do them in 3-4 days and then I had the time to go to the palace. But first thing first I went to my study room and wrote a note to the King and Queen, apologizing that I couldn't go to the palace today and telling them that I would let them know when I would be coming. I put the note in an envelope and summoned a transporting spirit to go deliver the message.

Although I was feeling tired I decided to start my chores. If I wanted to see Chihiro again I would have to work hard and I knew that Yubaba would do just that.

I jumped really quickly in the bathtub ordering of replenishing bath, knowing that I would need as much strength as possible to finish my missions. Feeling a little better after my bath I went back to my study room and started looking more carefully over the chores to see how I could group them so that I didn't have to fly in zigzag from city to city.

After finishing dividing the list I went downstairs and started cleaning the reception area and the kitchen. At least it was quiet and nobody bothered me. This took me almost an hour but I had a long way to go before I reached 257. Next I went to clean the bathtubs. That took care of another 30 or so chores. After that I went to the laundry room and cleaned and dried all the towels. While in there I had to repair some of the washing machines any one of the mechanisms for drying the clothes.

All of these chores took me a little over two hours, but I only managed to do 57 of them. 'Only 200 to go.' I thought to myself knowing that I was still a long way from finishing. Seeing that the ground floor with clean I went up and started chores on the first floor. Then the second floor followed, then the third, the fourth... And so on until I reached the top floor where Yubaba had her office.

At first I thought about snooping around to see if I can find my contact but then thought better about it and started cleaning and organizing her desk. 'Maybe she can sense me snooping in the drawers and then I can kiss goodbye my two-year contract.' I thought to myself.

After cleaning her office I went to Boh's room and cleaned it as well. There were so many toys and pillows that I couldn't even see Boh at first, although you couldn't miss him.

I started looking for him a little frantic, thinking that Yubaba will blame me for losing her precious baby. I turned the room upside down and it didn't even look like I was cleaning it for the past 10 minutes. I dove under the huge pile of pillows looking for him again when I heard a little "swoosh" sound. I managed to get out from between the pillows in time to see Boh descend gently from the ceiling.

"Where have you been? And since when can you appear and disappear at will?" I asked a little frustrated and angry that I did all that work for nothing.

"What are you talking about, Haku? I was right here." He said in a sweet voice but he couldn't fool me.

"Don't lie to me, Boh! I've been in this room for 15 minutes and you weren't here!" I told him more forcefully than I really wanted, but forceful enough to let him know that he can't lie to me. I felt sorry for him, seeing that he was only a baby, although he almost was half my age, and when I thought he was about to start crying he started to speak.

"I think it's time you know the truth." He said in a serious voice. I didn't like that at all. But before I had the time to ask him anything else he turned into a pretty nurse with blonde hair.

"But how...? Where is...? What...?" I started asking questions and couldn't finish any of them because another one came to mind.

"My real name is Kawaakago. I am the spirit that takes the form of a crying baby. Yubaba doesn't know that we share the same body and I don't plan on telling her and neither are you!" She said. It was her turn to be angry.

"I'm not going to tell Yubaba. But where were you just now? I was looking everywhere for you." I said feeling a little calmer.

"Talking to Chihiro..." She started to speak, but I cut her off.

"WHAT?! Chihiro is here? Where is she? I want to see her!" I blurted out, but couldn't finish the question because I felt my mouth being forced shut.

"Are you finished with the questions? Can I speak now?" She asked me I little angry that I cut her off.

Not being able to respond I only nodded my head and looked at her sheepishly so that she knew I didn't plan to speak again. Then I felt my mouth unclench itself and I started to massage my jaw, while she started to speak.

"Chihiro is not here. She's in the Human World and is now in the hospital..."

At the word "hospital" I wanted to ask another million questions, but thought better of it and decided to let her continue.

"Don't worry, she's not sick. She was a little sick about a month ago (in human world time) when you were beaten during the Sakurayama Festival. She must have sensed your pain and had a minor incident, which led her parents to call the ambulance and bring her to the hospital. Everything was going great and they were ready to discharge her when her mother came to visit and found her drawing... She was drawing you when she had the incident and her mother thought that this triggered it so she forbade Chihiro to draw and requested that she was sent to the psychiatric ward. Dr. Fujimoto refused at first but seeing that her mother was adamant, decided to take her to the psychiatric ward..."

At this point I couldn't take it anymore and I started to scream: "I will kill that bastard when I get my hands on him!" But again I couldn't finish the sentence because my mouth what's being forced shut again.

"You will not talk like that about my husband and the God of healing!" She said seething. "He was only doing this so that we could protect her. Her mother threatened that she would take her to some other doctors to see what was wrong with her. We didn't want to put her through more suffering so we arranged for her to move there." She said calmer and at this point I found that I could move my mouth again.

"I'm so sorry, Kawaakago-san for speaking ill of your husband. I didn't know he was helping Chihiro..." I said feeling ashamed for my outburst. "Can I ask you one more question?" I asked in a tiny voice, not knowing if she was still angry.

"Of course you can." She said smiling a motherly smile.

"How do you and your husband know about Chihiro?" I asked feeling a little stupid.

"King Kokuo asked my husband to go to the Human World to keep an eye on Chihiro on the day of her return. And knowing that I already met her, he asked me to help him." She said sweetly.

I sat there dumbstruck for what felt like forever. Then my senses came back and I startled Kawaakago when I embraced her.

"Thank you so much for taking care of her! And thank you to your husband! When can I meet him so that I can thank him in person?" I asked feeling ashamed for my earlier outburst but hoping that I could be able to apologize to him.

"He should be here tonight. Only I can't take you to him. You must find him on your own, giving that I must pretend to be Boh." She said and then changed into Yubaba's son.

Feeling tired he crawled into his bed and I got to do my next chore on the list: "Sing to Boh at bedtime." Once again I cleaned the room and left to go do the last 43 chores of the week, only these ones where not so simple to do. The next 27 chores revolved around the outside. I started with painting the exterior of the bathhouse, moved to the garden to tend to the crops and ended in the pigpen where I cleaned it and fed the pigs.

The last 16 chores however where missions in other cities in which I had to do some form of dirty work. I pulled the scroll from my pocket and looked over it. I already figured out that there were four cities in each of the four cardinal points. Seeing that it was well past noon I changed into my dragon form and headed west to Saitagama, Gifuku, Shigaka and Iwateru. 'Maybe if I'm lucky I can return by tonight.' I thought to myself and took off flying, remembering only when it was too late that in my haste to do the chores I left the hair tie on the nightstand next to my bed...

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_A/N: Another chapter done! The story is getting close to 2000 views and I am grateful for each and every one. Thank you so much and I wait your comments and reviews._


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 18: The King's nephew**

**Chihiro's POV**

The next days went by in a haze. I would eat, talk to nurse Kishi when she would bring my meals, practice my meditation (which wasn't much easier now), sleep, draw my mini Hakus and play with the hair tie, although nothing but darkness could be seen in it.

On Friday afternoon just after lunch, dr. Fujimoto and nurse Kishi came to visit me. His face was serious as he was carrying the news I was waiting and also dreading to hear.

"Tomorrow after lunch you will be going home." Said dr. Fujimoto watching me carefully.

"But... I don't want to... I haven't even mastered meditation... How can I learn without your help? ..." I started to say all these things so rapidly that I almost forgot to breathe and started having a panic attack.

Nurse Kishi came to sit next to me on the bed and placing a hand on my face and one on my chest, she started whispering things and I could feel myself relax. After regaining my breathing I started to pay close attention to them. Their faces were serious but they didn't seem upset that I will be going home. 'And to think I almost thought they cared about me and if I returned to the Spirit World.' I thought, feeling my eyes starting to sting from the tears that wanted to spill.

Seeing me get upset, nurse Kishi asked very concerned, like a mother would be worried for the well-being of her child: "What is wrong Chihiro? Why are you on the verge of crying?"

"I'm not crying... It's nothing..." I said sheepishly, although in my heart I knew I couldn't fool them.

"Chihiro..."said dr. Fujimoto, "you know you can tell us anything and we will try to help you."

"It's just that... You don't seem upset that I have to go home." I said almost in a whisper.

Hearing this they started chuckling lightly, which makes me a little sad and I couldn't stop the tears from falling. Nurse Kishi moved closer to me and wiped away my tears while dr. Fujimoto started to speak, as if he could read my mind.

"Don't worry, Chihiro. We weren't laughing at you. We aren't that upset to see you go home because we think we found the perfect solution for you..." He started to say but I was so excited that I cut him off mid sentence.

"Really?! What is the solution? I will do whatever you want." I said feeling very happy.

"You will go to see a counselor" dr. Fujimoto said again feeling happy about his idea, but I really didn't like it.

"But you said I wasn't crazy! Why should I see a counselor?" I asked a little forceful.

"I will be your counselor." Said nurse Kishi with a little smile on her lips, like that was supposed to answer my questions, but seeing my confusion dr. Fujimoto stepped in.

"You know my wife isn't really a nurse nor she is a counselor. You will come and have sessions with her two or three times a week to practice for your spiritual transformation. But this means that your training will take longer." He said in a gentle voice that had a tinge of sadness at the end.

"Then I will see you every day!" I almost yelled at nurse Kishi but also looking at dr. Fujimoto to let them know I was serious.

"You won't be able to come to sessions every day. First of all when we will get to some more advanced spiritual knowledge that will drain your power quite a lot and you will have to rest for at least a day. And second of all your parents will suspect something is going on if we see each other every day." Said nurse Kishi.

"Oh..." That's all I could manage to say feeling a little ashamed about my earlier outburst.

"How is meditation going?" Asked nurse Kishi in a somewhat concerned voice.

"I think it's going better. I can see Lin and Kamaji doing some of their work, but I have two dilemmas. I don't know if it's reality or some of the things I saw them do when I was at the bathhouse. And the second problem is that they are far away, and the visions are blurry. It's like I have bad eyesight and I can't see far." I said feeling a bit upset that I can't progress fast enough.

"That is good, Chihiro. Remember that only some weeks ago you can only imagine them. This takes time and practice, sweetie." Nurse Kishi said and started to stroke my hair seeing that I was becoming upset again.

"Okay. But why can't I see Haku?" I asked again feeling the tears building my eyes.

"I can answer that one" said dr. Fujimoto approaching my bed and taking one of my hands in his. Taking a deep breath he started to speak. "I told you last time I was here that the King of the Spirit World send me here to talk to you and I didn't understand why... Don't get me wrong. We all love you and by now all the spirits in Kamikakushi know about you - the first human to enter an exit without being harmed and more importantly left with all of her memories of that place." He said in a gentle voice that made me feel less anxious about the fact that all of the spirits knew about me.

"So I went and asked the King. At first he said he was just curious about you but I knew that there was something more so I asked him what it was and he finally gave up and told me." He said in a somewhat serious voice that made the anxiousness come back to the surface.

"You see, the King and Queen of Kamikakushi can't have children. And the next heir to the throne is supposed to be the King's cousin, lord Hachiman, but he has become a bad spirit who rules with an iron fist and our King doesn't wish to subject the spirits to this kind of ruler. So he searched for very long until he learned that his sister, Amaterasu (the Goddess of Sun) had a child with the water god, Suijin."

"And what does have to do with me, dr. Fujimoto?" I asked a little frustrated that he was almost talking in riddles.

"Well... You see... His nephew is Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi..." He said with a wide smile, which turned sorrowful when he saw me faint.

Waking up some time later I was cradled by nurse Kishi and dr. Fujimoto still had my hand in his.

"are you feeling alright now?" asked nurse Kishi sensing me move.

"I am fine..." I started to speak feeling groggy. "What happened?" I asked in a small voice because it was very hard to talk giving that I felt that I had a lump of coal in my throat.

"You passed out." Said dr. Fujimoto looking a little concerned. "I was telling you about the King's nephew and you passed out." He said looking at me very curious to see if I could remember the rest of the information on my own.

"Oh...yeah. Apparently Haku is the King's nephew and he is supposed to run the Spirit World some day." I almost whispered.

"That's right. But why did you faint? Aren't you feeling good? Are you tired? You didn't eat well? How much have you slept? ..." Started to ask nurse Kishi with motherly concern in her voice.

"I am feeling fine. I eat very well and sleep at least eight hours every night. It's just that... His full name is sacred to me. I can't hear it in the Human World. It doesn't belong here." I said feeling exhausted. "And also that information took me a little by surprise."

"Oh..." They both said before dr. Fujimoto continued: "We promise not to speak his name again in your presence. As for now you should rest and I will see you tomorrow when your parents come to pick you up." He said then hugged me and bowed and then he was gone.

"I will see you again at dinner and tomorrow at breakfast, Chihiro." Said nurse Kishi before exiting the room.

Left alone I started to think about what dr. Fujimoto told me about Haku being royalty. 'This means that he will find a pretty spirit princess so he can claim the throne and he will forget about me. Why should I even return to the Spirit World?' I asked myself and felt the tears slip from my eyes and onto the pillow starting to drench it.

For the first time since I returned to the Human World I wondered if I should even bother to return to the Spirit World and if Haku had any feelings towards me. 'Maybe he didn't want me there in the beginning. He always wanted me to go back. But he said he was my friend and he looked after me and I could see something in his eyes when he let go of my hand... There was regret.' I thought to myself wishing all the bad thoughts to go away and feeling a new determination to become a spirit so that I could go back and at least ask Haku how he felt about me...

_A/N: I hope you liked this chapter and don't worry we will find the answer about why Chihiro can't see Haku in meditation in a following chapter. I didn't forget about that._


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 19: Issues at the work place**

**Haku's POV**

I returned from the first mission on the same day but the sun was already set and the bathhouse was in a total chaos. I didn't even get a chance to walk in the door because five frogs started to jump in front of me and started to yell different things. I used my magic to freeze four of them so that I could listen to one at a time.

"Master Haku!" started the first one "we have some big customers coming tonight. What should we do? All of the big baths are occupied" he whined.

"Why are the baths occupied?" I asked a little nervous that I had to solve everyone's problems.

"Some of the lower baths don't have Yunas to attend them." He said before I froze him and unfrozen the next one, only to say the exact same thing the first one said.

"So why aren't all the Yunas at work?" I asked frustrated that now we had staff problems.

"They're feeling sick, Master." He said jumping up and down.

"Go find Lin and tell her I want to see her about the situation." I said and dismissed him as I unfroze the next frog.

"There isn't enough food in the kitchen!" He said in a frantic voice.

"What do you mean?" I asked feeling angry at this point that I hoped for an easier night but started as one from hell.

"During the day most of the food just rotted. Nothing changed in terms of keeping it, it's just rotted!" He said in a more aggravated voice.

Not knowing what solution to give him, I froze him and unfroze the fourth frog to see what he had to say.

"The crops are dying and so are the pigs!" He almost yelled at me.

In any other circumstance I wouldn't tolerate a worker yelling at me, but I let it slide knowing that he was afraid.

"Go find the gardener and the swineherd and tell them I want to talk to them." I said as the frog was already out the door.

I unfroze the last frog and it was more frantic than all of the other frogs put together.

"The rooms aren't getting enough heat and the water isn't hot enough." He said, panic could be heard clearly in his voice.

"Go to the boiler room and tell Kamaji I will go see him as soon as I finish with these other problems." I said and the fourth frog bowed in the air and was gone before I could say another word.

Just then the elevator arrived and from it stepped out Lin who looked angry, frustrated and definitely tired.

"What is happening to the Yunas?" I asked never letting her get out of the elevator.

"They are throwing up, they have a high fever and can't stand up. I tried already to heal them with some herbs from Kamaji, but it didn't improve much the situation." She said and I felt that she aged 30 years in the last couple of hours.

"So how can we help them?" I asked feeling powerless. Kamaji had some of the best remedies in all Kamikakushi.

"There is someone who can help you..." She started to say. "... But the journey there would take you five days, even in your dragon form." She said as her eyes began to tear up. I didn't even think that Lin had it in her to cry, but obviously she cared a lot about her friends and other workers of the bathhouse. "I don't think they can hold on for 10 days until you return with the cure." She ended in almost a whisper.

"Tell me where I have to go and we'll find a solution so that I can get the cure on time." I told her and put an arm around her shoulder looking at her like at a little sister.

"You need to go at the east edge of Kamikakushi. There, right at the border it is a cave. In it, it's supposed to live an old man, Suijin, and he has the cures for all the diseases in Kamikakushi." She said in a sad voice.

"Okay, I will go, but first I need to sort these other problems." I told her. 'Maybe on the way back from the east I could gather the ransoms for the bathhouse.' I thought to myself, thinking that I could kill two birds with one stone.

Just as I finished thinking, the gardener and the swineherd stepped into the bathhouse and started to speak in agony that's their work was in vain and that they can't cure the illnesses on their own.

"I am going to the cave that is at the east border of Kamikakushi. While I am there I will ask for medication for you two." I said and as soon as I finished I knew that they were satisfied with my decision.

Seeing that almost all the problems were being solved in some way I decided to go to the boiler room. At the last second I remember to unfreeze the first and the third frog and made my way to the kitchen.

"What seems to be the problem with the food, Chef Yuki?" I asked as soon as I stepped in the overcrowded kitchen.

"We don't know, Master Haku. When it's in storage, it looks fine, but when we touch it, it trots in a matter of seconds." He said in a frantic voice and pointed to a huge pile of rotten food.

"I want to see this for myself." I replied and accompanied him to the storage room. As he said, the food looked fine here, but when I touched a fish it started to rot and the smell was unbearable. I walked out of the storage room as quickly as I could and said to the Chef: "I'm going to talk to Yubaba about this and then I will send word about our decision. Until then you can all rest, seeing that there is nothing you can do."

Getting out of the kitchen and away from the smell of rotten food I made my way downstairs to the boiler room. As soon as I entered the soot balls stopped their work to welcome me, but were quickly put back into their place by Kamaji who was more irritable than usual.

"Get back to work you lazy balls!" he yelled. "We can't afford to lose any second!"

"Kamaji, what seems to be the problem?" I asked as soon as the soot balls returned to work.

"The heating system is too old. I built it when I first came here. And that was over 640 years ago." He replied in a sad voice.

From the tone of his voice I knew that although he said he hated being here, this was everything that he knew and he didn't have anywhere else to go.

"I will talk to Yubaba and convince her to give you the money for the repairs." I said. At this point we both started to laugh because we knew how ridiculous the idea was: Yubaba to give money away for anything.

'If she won't agree, I will give away my salary to have this fixed.' I thought and left the boiler room.

Getting into the first elevator I quickly found myself at the top floor and standing before the door of Yubaba's office. I knocked but no one answered so I walked in to find the office just as usual, minus one Yubaba. I looked everywhere for her, even went to Boh's room to see if she was there. Just as I entered the room Boh also appeared and then I remembered that Boh was actually Kawaakago and her husband was the God of Agriculture.

"Kawaakago, I need your help!" I said almost whining like a little girl.

"What's the matter Haku?" Boh asked still remaining in his big baby form.

"We have a lot of problems with the bathhouse. The workers are sick, the crops and pigs are dying, the rooms aren't heating and the food is rotting." I blurted out as fast as I could to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything.

"And what can I do to help?" He asked in his child voice.

"Could you ask your husband to see why the foot is rotting? For the other problems I think we have solutions." I asked a little hopeful that he would be able to help us.

"Sure. But again, I can't be there with you. I will tell him to come by tomorrow night." He said and started to play.

I started to think that was perfect, but then remembered that I had to fly to the eastern border. 'How could I return by tomorrow night?' I asked myself.

"If I'm not here, can one of my assistants help your husband?" I asked but I only got a nod and a smile back. Kawaakago had become Boh for the night. Tucking the big baby, I switched off the light and exited his room.

Returning to Yubaba's office I could see that she was getting near the bathhouse. As soon as she landed I started to talk as fast as I talked to Kawaakago earlier, only a little louder.

"Slow down, Haku! You will wake the baby and I will have your head!" She said with a sneer.

I told her the problems again in a calmer voice, at which she responded: "And why is that my problem? It's your job to fix the problems that occur."

Seeing that I was getting nowhere with her I changed tactics and talked to her about the one thing that mattered: money.

"But, Yubaba, if we can't heat the rooms the guests won't come to the bathhouse and if there aren't enough Yunas to attend the bath tubs, we can't serve as many customers as we would like. And I heard there are some important clients coming our way. We wouldn't want to lose their money." I said and saw her eyes bulge.

"And what do you propose we do?" She asked in a superior voice thinking that I would be scared of her.

"Give Kamaji the money to upgrade the heating system and either you teleport yourself to the eastern border to get the cures or you bestow that power upon me so that I don't spend 10 days on the road." I said without failing a word.

I could see the wheels turning in her head and she didn't like my ideas one bit, but she knew she didn't have a choice.

"Fine!" she said in a very angry tone. "I will give the money to Kamaji but they will come out of your salary. You won't get paid in the next year." She paused hoping that I would get angry, but I already thought of that possibility.

"As for the second part, I have many important affairs here. I can't go flying around to Kami knows where in search of an old man." She said in a calmer voice. "I will grant you the power of teleportation until tomorrow evening. If you aren't back by sunset you will be sent to the land of the forgotten and never be seen or heard from again." She finished and started to laugh wildly thinking that I would be scared.

"Fine. Grant me the power so that I can go." I said and felt something envelop me and before I even finished the sentence I opened my eyes and saw the entrance to a cave.

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_A/N: I hope you like my superhero Haku. He would give his life for his home and his friends._

_I hope you liked this chapter and I await your comments and reviews. Come on people, don't be shy! :) I even accept constructive criticism. And I hope you will forgive any spelling mistakes I may have made._


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.**

**Happy reading! CN**

**Chapter 20: Goodbye, hospital!**

**Chihiro's POV**

That night I cried myself to sleep although I was determined to go back to the Spirit World. When morning came, nurse Kishi came with breakfast but she couldn't stay for long, seeing that it was nighttime in the Kamikakushi and Yubaba was there.

After breakfast I took out the drawings from under the mattress and hid them in my T-shirt, but at the last minute pulled them out and started to write on one of the papers.

At lunchtime I asked nurse Kishi to ask dr. Fujimoto to bring me an envelope so that he could pass the message for me.

Right after lunch dr. Fujimoto appeared with the envelope. I stuffed the papers in it and passed it to him just as my parents were coming into the room.

My parents were pretty happy to see me, but looked carefully and somewhat scared at me as to see that I was doing okay.

I had to fake being really happy. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to leave the hospital, but I wasn't really happy to go home, because that wasn't my real home.

"How are you feeling sweetie?" asked mom and I could see the concern in her eyes.

"I am feeling great, mom. I know now that there isn't such a thing as humans being turned into pigs. The boy looks like a famous singer I like and that's why I was imagining him." I said with the biggest fake smile I could muster on my face.

Seeing me like this, my parents visibly relaxed and came to hug me, although a bit awkwardly.

After our little moment, dr. Fujimoto started to speak: "As you can see, Mr. and Mrs. Ogino, Chihiro is doing fine. All of her tests came back clean for now but I would like to keep her under observation. I will give her some pills. I want to see Chihiro every month on the 15th to renew her prescription. You won't find these pills in any pharmacy, that's why you have to come and see me every month. Also, I would like for her to go see a counselor..." He said and I knew it was my cue to whine so that my parents would listen to the doctor.

"But mom, dad...! I feel fine! I don't want to go to a counselor!" I said in the most childish tone I could muster.

"Quiet, Chihiro!" dad cut me off. "You will do as the doctor says" he finished getting a little frustrated.

"This is the business card of one of my colleagues. I told her about Chihiro and she will be expecting your call in the next few days. The sooner she starts talking about her imagination, the better." Set dr. Fujimoto and mischief could be seen in his eyes.

"We will do that, doctor. Thank you for saving our daughter!" said my dad who shook dr. Fujimoto's hand.

"Yes, thank you so much!" said mom and bowed to show her appreciation.

Dr. Fujimoto crouched to be at my eye level and in an act of total bravery I jumped and placed my arms around his neck. This was the only way I could whisper without being heard by my parents: "Please deliver the message."

Letting go of him I bowed to show him my gratitude and walked over to my mom and dad who were waiting to take me home.

Arriving downstairs in the lobby I noticed that all the people had winter coats on them and when I looked outside I could see that it was snowing heavily. My mom took out a sweater and a pair of warmer pants from a bag she was carrying and took me to a bench to dress me. My dad handed me a winter coat and a hat and scarf and we soon left the hospital. I was really amazed about the snow that only when we reached the car I remembered to ask: "By the way, what day is it today?"

"It's 20th of December, sweetie. Why do you ask?" Replied my mom in a concerned voice.

"Oh, nothing. I was just curious, that's all." I said not feeling brave enough to tell them the rest of my thoughts. 'You haven't been at the hospital to visit me in over a month and I've spent more than 2 months here...'

Arriving home half an hour later I went straight to my room but then quickly remembered that I had to play a role for my parents, so I went downstairs and almost startled my mom.

"Could we celebrate Christmas this year, mom?" I asked hoping to sound sweet enough.

"If you want, we will celebrate Christmas" mom said as tears started to gather in her eyes. "We are so happy to have you home, that this year we will do whatever you like" she said.

"I will go to school and then to counseling and then we will eat together. I want dumplings, Okonomiyaki with pork and vegetables, tonkatsu and also a strawberry cake. Can we have all of those, mom?" I asked feeling excited for the first time since moving to Nanto.

"Of course, sweetie. If that's what you want, that is what we will eat. As for counseling, we will call dr. Kobayashi and see if she can see you on the 25th." Mom said, happy tears falling down her cheeks.

"Why don't you go and lie down for a while until the food is ready?" Dad asked while patting me on the shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't want my help, mom?" I asked hoping that she would say no.

"No, honey. It's all right. Go lie down. You had a busy day. We will call for you when it's time for dinner." Mom said, pushing me out of the kitchen and in the direction of the staircase.

I made my way to the room and as soon as I closed the door I raced to the closet to find my treasures. The little chest stood there in the back of the closet, hidden away behind my gym bag. I opened it and felt a sense of calm envelop me. I looked at my drawings of Haku and then picked up my dragon scale and I could feel it vibrate. At first I panicked a little but didn't pay much attention, thinking that I was imagining things.

Knowing that my treasures were safe I placed them back in the chest and went and plopped myself on the bed. This was the first time I had time to think in the last few days and I started to think about meditation and my question to dr. Fujimoto, which actually remained unanswered. "Why can't I see Haku?" I made a mental note to ask nurse Kishi when I saw her.

Remembering nurse Kishi and the appointment I was supposed to have with her, I panicked for a second because my parents had to call her. 'How will she be able to answer?' I asked myself. 'If she couldn't talk my parents, then dr. Fujimoto wouldn't have given them her business card.'

Soon after I fell asleep and dreamed of my favorite dragon and my friend with emerald eyes.

* * *

We ate in silence; I took my pill and went back to my room to think and to prepare myself for the return to school on Monday morning. Not wanting to upset myself by imagining how life would be at school after being admitted to the psychiatric ward, I started my meditation. I could see Lin running frantically from room to room and tending to some sick Yunas. But this only lasted a couple of seconds because I saw a frog call for Lin and she entered the elevator. I could see that she was upset and on the verge of crying. She didn't even have the time to exit the elevator when someone stopped her in her tracks... It was Haku.

At this point the vision became black and I knew that it was enough meditation for tonight. I quickly took a shower, brushed my hair in my teeth, changed into my comfy pajamas and curled on the bed under the blankets for another night of sleep filled with dragons.

* * *

First thing on Sunday, I glanced at my school schedule that was glued on the wall above my desk. I started to feel scared that I have missed a lot in the two months that I have been gone. I was hoping that the teachers would understand, but took my math and science books out of the desk drawer and started to skim over to the pages. I haven't done this until now, but now I saw that if I looked for a second on a page I would remember the words. I started putting my theory to the test so I opened the book at a random page, looked at it and started to solve the problem that was there. The lesson was about equations and we haven't even learned them yet.

As soon as I finished I went downstairs to the living room to see my father reading the newspapers on the sofa.

Tempering my enthusiasm a little, I asked him: "Could you see if I solved this problem correctly, dad?"

He looked at me carefully for a few seconds and then took the notebook and pencil from my hands and started analyzing my operations.

"Yes, Chihiro, it is correct. Why do you ask?" He asked while giving me back the notebook and pencil.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to know if I did it right. The teacher told us about them the last time I was at school and I didn't think I understood them properly." I told him so to not freak him out further.

Giving a hug to my dad I ran back upstairs and took out all of my books. By lunchtime I memorized all of them. I did the same with some of the thickest books in my bookshelf. Feeling confident about school and life in general, I went down to lunch but kept this information secret for the time being.

* * *

_A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. I am looking forward to your comments or reviews. What did you think about Chihiro's new power?_

_Unfortunately I will take a short break from the story (no more than 2 weeks) because I have to travel abroad with work. I will post another chapter as soon as I come back._


	21. AN

Hi guys,

Sorry for the delay, but my trip went a little longer than predicted, and now that I got home I found my place flooded with water... from my upstairs neighbor.

My computer was damaged pretty badly, so I have to wait to get it fixed. As soon as it is running again, I will post the story.

I am writing this message from a friend's computer.

Thank you for understanding! Have a great day!


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